Foreign ministry conducts major reshuffle
Foreign ministry conducts major reshuffle
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked on Friday its first
discernible steps in a major structural revamp by inaugurating 26
second echelon officials, including the appointment of the
ministry's first ever official spokesman.
In a modest ceremony, foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda
introduced Marty Natalegawa, outgoing director for international
organizations, as spokesman.
He will serve directly under the minister and is mandated with
the authority to speak on behalf of the minister.
In the past the director of foreign information acted as
spokesman for the ministry.
The internal restructuring had been planned for several years.
It is designed to improve performance, with greater emphasis and
bureaucratic division on geographical areas, which will allow the
directorates to be more focused.
The organizational restructuring is not expected to be
completed until April, after which the ministry will turn its
attention on its representatives offices around the world.
The overall process is due to be completed in June.
"Today's ceremony is part of a major revamp that was necessary
due to the changing internal condition of the country following
the reform movement in 1998 as well as global developments,"
Hassan said.
Under the new structure the ministry will have seven directors
general, an inspector general, a secretary-general and head of a
policy research and development department.
Each directorate general will have four to five directorates.
Two directorates general will be based on geographic
responsibility -- Asian, Pacific and African affairs; and Europe
and the Americas.
One is to be specifically dedicated to the Association of
Southeast Asian (ASEAN).
Two separate directorates general will be created to deal with
multilateral affairs -- one for political, social and security
affairs; while the other will be for economic, financial and
developmental affairs.
There will also be a directorate general charged with
information, public diplomacy and international agreements, and
another for consular affairs.
No official announcement has been made on who will fill the 10
senior posts, however there is speculation that Permanent
Representative to the UN Makmur Widodo, Ambassador to Australia
Sujadnan Parnohadiningrat, current Director General for Foreign
Economic Relations Makarim Wibisono and incumbent secretary-
general Arrizal Effendy are on the short list of candidates.