House shows ineptitude by leaking information

House shows ineptitude by leaking information

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) has once again demonstrated
its incompetence after Commission I members leaked the result of
their closed-door hearing with 27 ambassadorial candidates to the
media.

Commission I deputy chairman Ishak Latuconsina regretted the
incident on Tuesday, urging fellow members to refrain from making
any comment on the issue.

"We have decided not to comment any further on the issue. We
feel embarrassed since the result should have not been made
public," said Ishak, who chaired Monday's hearing.

Several national media published on Monday the names of seven
ambassadorial candidates who had failed to pass the House
screening.

Failed candidates included senior diplomat Abdul Irsan, who
was nominated for the ambassadorial post in Japan, and young
diplomat Rezlan Izhar Jenie, who had been tipped as Indonesia's
permanent representative to the UN in New York.

Yasril Ananta Baharuddin, commission member and former foreign
ministry member of staff, said that age was one major factor
behind the rejections.

He said Abdul was considered too old as he would soon reach
the retirement age of 60 next month, while Rezlan was too young,
as he was only in his early 50s.

"It was a closed-door meeting, it should not have been made
public," Ishak said regretfully.

A foreign ministry official told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday
that the office considered the information leak as violating the
"ethics of diplomacy".

"The names of ambassadorial candidates should not be made
public until the designated receiving countries indicate their
assent," the official said.

The amended 1945 Constitution grants the House the right to
pass an opinion on ambassadorial candidates, but the President is
not obliged to follow the recommendation.

Ishak said the commission would hold another meeting to
conclude the result of Monday's hearing before delivering it to
President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Yasril also said that the House had decided that a diplomat
could not serve as ambassador twice, although there was no
written regulation on the matter.

Asked who was competent enough to serve as an ambassador,
Yasril quickly said: "Me and other members of the House."

In 2001, legislators tried to block the appointment of an
ambassadorial candidate to the U.S. as they wanted to appoint a
fellow lawmaker to the post.