House rejects eight govt ambassadorial candidates

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) has turned down eight out of 27 ambassadorial candidates proposed by the government due to different selection criteria.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said in a joint press meeting with Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda on Wednesday that the House Commission I for defense, foreign and political affairs turned down the names of eight candidates after they failed to meet the criteria.

"Although we do understand that the government has its own selection process, we hope that they will take into consideration our decisions against these eight," Akbar said.

He declined to name the candidates nor where they were supposed to have been stationed. Hassan said both sides would further discuss the eight candidates without revealing when the government would come to a decision.

Commission I vice chairman Amris Hassan said that the eight candidates the House revoked were designated for countries in Europe, South Asia and the Middle East. Talks have not begun on the empty ambassadorial post in Australia, he said. He added that one of the different criteria was the age factor.

While legislators wanted an age limit for candidates, he said, the government argued that an ambassadorial post was a political position that must not be restricted by age.

The recent amendment to the 1945 Constitution requires the government to consult the House's opinion and consideration in every ambassadorial appointment, including the installment of foreign ambassadors to Indonesia.

In practice, candidates must present legislators with a proposal on their plans and mission for the designated country.

The new requirements have prolonged the selection process, and a number of ambassadorial posts have been left vacant as a result.

Last September, Hassan lamented that Indonesia was the only country in the world where legislators had a say in the appointment of ambassadors.

Legislators have come under fire for interfering too much with executives powers, and although the government may ignore their considerations, doing so may create political friction.

Akbar said Wednesday that the government and the House were planning to draw up guidelines for the selection of future ambassadors in order to speed up the selection process and prevent friction over different candidates.

"We agreed that there should be a benchmark, a yardstick to measure whether someone is fit to pass the selection for an ambassadorial post," said Akbar.

Hassan said he, too, hoped for a common ground between the two sides. "We talked about how to harmonize the implementation of the Constitution," Hassan said.

Amris said talks were also underway on plans to create a new law on the overseas appointment of state officials.

Until then, he said, legislators and the government would start with agreeing on the basic parameters for the appointment of ambassadors.