House to assess 27 envoy candidates

House to assess 27 envoy 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.