Home ministry begins reshuffle

Home ministry begins reshuffle

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Home Affairs Moh. Ma'ruf installed on Thursday new
senior officials in a major reshuffle which he said would not
affect the upcoming direct regional elections.

The reshuffle involved all key posts, including the
secretariat, which is now headed by Progo Nurdjaman, replacing
Siti Nurbaya who has been moved to the Ministry of Fisheries and
Maritime Affairs.

Progo handed over his former position as director general of
regional autonomy to Kausar AS, who previously served as the
secretary to the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas)
Governor Ermaya Suradinata.

The reshuffle also saw Soedarsono Hardjosoekarto, a former
director general of regional autonomy under then home minister
Surjadi Soedirdja, named director general of national unity and
political affairs, replacing Moehanto.

Ma'ruf named former director general of regional development
Seman Widjojo the ministry's new inspector general, taking over
from Sinyo Sarundayang, who is retiring. Seman's old post is to
be filled by Syamsul Arif Rivai.

Abdul Rasyid Saleh, meanwhile, was sworn in as director
general of demographic administration.

Also installed on Thursday were Sodjuangan Situmorang as the
director general of general administration, replacing Ardi
Partadinata, and Daeng Mochamad Nazier, who replaced Timbul
Pudjianto as the director general of regional financial
administration. Timbul was given a position without a portfolio
as an expert staff assigned to the minister.

Nazier, a former official with the finance ministry, is a new
figure in the ministry's new structure, along with Dian
Anggraeni, who now leads the home ministry's training and
education body to replace Soedarsono. Dian was formerly the head
of Central Java's manpower and transmigration agency.

"I believe the reshuffle won't affect the direct regional
elections," Ma'ruf said.

Indonesia will hold unprecedented direct elections for
governors, regents and mayors, starting on June 1 with the
election for Kutai Kartanegara regent in East Kalimantan.

The reshuffle, Ma'ruf added, was a result of a performance
assessment conducted by a team of officials led by Vice President
Jusuf Kalla.

"There is nothing that was not transparent in the selection of
the officials as we promoted them based on their level of
professionalism," Ma'ruf said.

Attending the swearing-in ceremony were, among others,
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin and
Lemhannas Governor Ermaya and other state officials.