Career diplomats less qualified: DPR
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Career ambassadorial candidates from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are less qualified compared to noncareer candidates, legislators from House of Representatives Commission I for defense and foreign affairs said on Thursday.
The lawmakers, however, assured that all 14 ambassadorial candidates President Megawati Soekarnoputri had recently nominated would be endorsed.
By law, Indonesia's ambassadors are appointed by the president, who must take into account the opinion of the House.
In practice, however, the House screens the candidates and recommends only candidates it considers eligible.
While the president can, in theory, ignore the House's recommendations, tension often occurs between the presidential office and the House over the appointment of ambassadors.
Deputy Commission I chairman Effendi Choirie of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said most ambassadorial candidates from the foreign ministry could not give clear answers to legislators' questions during screening.
Former Commission I chairman Yasril Ananta Baharuddin of the Golkar Party concurred with Choirie, saying that the performance of candidates from outside the foreign ministry was better than that of those from the ministry.
Ten of 14 ambassadorial candidates the President nominated are career diplomats, while the remainder are either politicians or former state officials.
Noncareer ambassadorial candidates are Golkar politician Iris Indira Murti to be posted to Finland, former police chief Rusdihardjo to Malaysia and PKB politician Abdul Wahid Maktub to Qatar.
Choirie and Yasril, however, agreed that all candidates would be endorsed by the House.
The commission is also likely to approve the appointment of former National Intelligence Agency (BIN) official Ahmad Bey Sofwan as Indonesia's ambassador to Dili, East Timor, even though Indonesia does not yet have an embassy in Dili.
Choirie said the commission would endorse all 14 candidates for the posts for which they had been proposed.
Yasril said most of the candidates were eligible for the posts.
"However, two or three candidates from the foreign ministry indicated poor performance during the clarification hearing with the commission," Yasril said.
Asked whether the smooth approval of the House commission was due to the appointment of Golkar's Iris Indira Murti and PKB's Abdul Wahid Maktub, Choirie and Yasril rejected the suggestion.
"Our approval was based on our assessment of the candidates' professionalism," Yasril said.
Choirie, however, questioned the abrupt decision of President Megawati Soekarnoputri to appoint an ambassador to Dili when Indonesia had yet to open an embassy there.
In a letter sent to the House in August, President Megawati sought input from legislators on her plan to elevate diplomatic ties with East Timor -- Indonesia's former 27th province.
The legislators did not immediately approve of the plan, but later understood it after receiving an explanation from Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda.
RK Sembiring Meliala, a commission member from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said that fellow legislators could understand the plan to open an embassy in Dili.
Indonesia currently has only an Interest Section office in Dili, East Timor.