Garuda candidate draws criticism

Debbie A. Lubis and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The nomination of Samudera Sukardi, a brother of State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, as a candidate for the top post at the country's flag carrier has continued to draw criticism.

The latest opposition came from Government Watch, which suspected that there were political scheming behind his nomination as he was nominated by the Vice President's United Development Party (PPP), and not by Garuda's shareholders during a shareholders' general meeting.

Government Watch coordinator Farid R. Faqih suggested that Samudera wait for a change in the Cabinet before he joined the competition for Garuda's presidency.

He contended that if Samudera went ahead with his nomination and Laksamana went ahead with his approval, it would only confirm that nepotism was at play.

Although there would be a transparent "fit and proper test", it would still create problems in the eyes of the people as the final decision would still lie with Laksamana.

"There is a possibility of greater opposition -- at least from inside Garuda -- if people see nepotism in the appointment process," he said.

Laksamana said on Monday that Samudera had people supporting him, and therefore, "I don't think there is any need to make an issue of it."

PPP's secretary-general Alimarwan Hanan, who is also minister of cooperative and small enterprises as well as deputy chairman of the PPP faction in the House of Representatives Suryadarma Ali both contended that Samudera was indeed a good choice.

"He is from Garuda and he has the ability to become Garuda president, so there's no problem with it.

"We can't just block someone's career because his brother is a key official in the country," he told reporters.

Samudera is currently the director of PT Abacus, Garuda's subsidiary which handles online reservations, and has worked with Garuda since 1977.

He maintained that he was eligible as a candidate, and this had nothing to do with his brother, Minister Laksamana.

"I was with Garuda a long time before my brother became a minister," he told The Jakarta Post.

He urged the government to establish a credible team to conduct a transparent "fit and proper test" for all the candidates, including himself.

If necessary, the government could use independent experts from foreign universities or foreign airlines on the team, he said.

"I am ready to compete with the other candidates because I have loyalty to this country, a workable program for the company, experience, and individual capability such as leadership and managerial skills in the airline industry," he said.