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.