House to ambassador candidates

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives is slated to assess the track record of 27 candidates for ambassadorial posts next month, most of whom are career diplomats, to be assigned to various countries.

Among the candidates are scholar Bachtiar Aly, police officer Comr. Gen. Ahwil Luthan, and Sapartini Kuntjoro-Jakti, the younger sister of economic minister Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti.

The three-star police officer Ahwil Luthan is currently investigating the alleged smuggling of 83 luxury cars in which fellow policeman Comr. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb has been implicated.

Aly, Luthan and Supartini are to be assigned in Egypt, Mexico and Hungary respectively.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri submitted the names of the candidates in three separate letters she sent to the House on March 8, March 27, and May 20.

Based on the first amendment of the 1945 Constitution, the President has to consider the opinion of the House in appointing ambassadors.

Of the 27 candidates, only three of them are female officers.

"The Foreign Ministry has never promoted women to strategic positions," said Djoko Susilo, a member of House Commission I for security and foreign affairs.

Djoko was referring to Sapartini, Sri M. Tadjudin who is assigned to Sri Lanka, and Moeniroh Sri Rahayu for New Zealand.

He claimed that the posts allocated for the three female candidates were not strategic postings.

Fellow legislator Happy Bone Zulkarnaen of Golkar faction said, however, that the gender issue was of less importance than the knowledge the candidates had in diplomatic affairs.

Other candidates include Hardikun Supadar for Algeria; Amin Rianom for Turkey; Rahmat Ranudijaya for Spain, Johannes Gerson Djopari for Papua New Guinea; Albert Matondang for Fiji; Hasyim Saleh for Uzbekistan; Hadromi Nakim for Kuwait; Suherman Obon for Syria; Syamsuddin Yahya for Sudan; Abdul Irsan for Japan; Ladjunis for Yugoslavia; Bintang Simorangkir for Slovakia; Ibnu Sanyoto for Poland; Muhammad Jusuf for the Netherlands; Hatarto Reksodiputro for Norway; Bambang Yuwono for Venezuela; Pieter Taruyu Vau for Brazil; Suwarno Atmoprawiro for Chile; Max Pangemanan for Argentina; Suparmin Sunjoyo for Suriname; Santoso Raharjo for Czech and Rezlan Jenie for the United Nations.