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.