House finishes envoy exams

House finishes envoy exams

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II overseeing
foreign affairs wrapped up its review of 19 ambassadorial
candidates on Tuesday, with traces of disappointment evident on
the faces of commission members.

Although legislators refused to disclose the results of the
assessment, some commission members acknowledged they were upset
by the candidates' performance during the selection hearings.

"There are some candidates who should be shifted to another
country destination. The decision should be made to align
challenges with the candidates' competence," commission chairman
Ibrahim Ambong told the press here on Tuesday.

Four ambassadorial candidates were grilled on the final day of
examination on Tuesday: Juwono Sudarsono, nominated for the
posting in Britain; Abdullah Syarwani, nominated for Lebanon;
Cornelis Manoppo, nominated for Venezuela; and Sukarni Fikar,
nominated for Syria.

Of the total 19 candidates, four are figures from outside the
foreign affairs ministry.

Under the amended 1945 Constitution, the President has the
prerogative to appoint ambassadors, but he or she should consider
any recommendations from the legislators. The extended selection
process has drawn complaints from the foreign ministry for
causing many ambassadorial posts to remain vacant longer.

Commission member Djoko Susilo said only four to five
candidates from the ministry were eligible for the ambassadorial
post. Legislators reached a consensus to approve 10 to 11 other
candidates for reasons of empathy rather than quality, he added.

"Only 30 percent of those candidates are really qualified,"
Djoko added.

Based on their assessment, the legislators will ask the
foreign affairs ministry to evaluate each? candidacy and propose
an equal number of candidates from the ministry and outside it.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri ignored the objection of
legislators to the nomination of Irsan Abdul Gani for Japan,
because of his advanced age.

The president instead inaugurated Irsan last month, promptly
drawing protests from legislators. Some dejected lawmakers
proposed to boycott the future examination process, but a
consultation meeting between the legislators and Minister of
Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda could quell the dispute.