Gus Dur shakes up 8 state firms in a bid to improve performances
Gus Dur shakes up 8 state firms in a bid to improve performances
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Tuesday he
had decided to replace the leaders of eight state companies to
improve the companies' performances.
The President, who is popularly called Gus Dur, said he signed
a decree on the replacement of the leadership of the eight state
companies on Tuesday, but refused to name the companies as well
as their replacement leaders.
"Even my assistants have yet to know their names," Gus Dur
said in reply to a question raised by a participant of a seminar
on oil and gas, adding the names would be announced on Wednesday.
However, Gus Dur said the names could be different from those
rumored, reminding those present of his surprise selections for
the leaders of the state electricity company PT PLN and the
National Police.
Gus Dur recently took many people by surprise by appointing
former minister of mines and energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto and Lt.
Gen. Roesdihardjo as president of PLN and chief of the National
Police respectively.
Neither of their names had been tipped by analysts for the two
top jobs.
The public remain unsure of which eight companies Gus Dur
wants to shake up, except for state oil and gas company Pertamina
and state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia.
Gus Dur has ordered Pertamina's board of commissioners to
select candidates to replace Martiono Hadianto as the leader of
the state company.
State Minister of State Enterprises and Investment Laksamana
Sukardi has also said the government would replace the leader of
Bank Negara Indonesia.
Analysts have said state telecommunication company PT Telkom
is another state company that is up for a change at the top as
its president AA Nasution is nearing retirement age.
Gus Dur said the changes in leadership were necessary to make
state companies clean, efficient and competitive.
He repeated his strong commitment to stamp out corruption,
collusion and nepotism, which were rampant in state companies
throughout the 32-year rule of former president Soeharto.
"This is very important, because for so long the oil industry
in Indonesia as well as other industries, like electricity and so
forth... were controlled by a family," Gus Dur said, apparently
referring to Soeharto's family.
Gus Dur recalled that his brother once took part in a tender
for supplies for Pertamina, but he failed as the price he offered
was too low.
"Crazy, but it is a fact... because a fifth of all the other
tenders would have gone to one source only," Gus Dur said,
apparently alluding to corruption, causing those present at the
seminar to laugh. (jsk/prb)