Kunarto favored to chair audit body
Kunarto favored to chair audit body
JAKARTA (JP): Deputy chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency
Kunarto looks set to fill the top position of the body left
vacant by J.B. Sumarlin since December last year.
Kunarto, a retired police general and former chief of the
National Police, was named one of the three candidates for the
chairmanship of the audit agency announced by the House of
Representatives yesterday.
Deputy House Speaker Abdul Gafur said after a meeting to
select the three candidates that leaders of the four factions
also unanimously supported the nomination of Rifai Siata and
Bambang Wahyudi.
Gafur said the 500 members of the House of Representatives
would convene next Wednesday to approve the candidates before
presenting them to President Soeharto. The head of state elects
the audit body chief, according to law.
Rifai is one of the five incumbent members of the audit body,
while outsider Bambang is an economics lecturer at the Bandung-
based Padjajaran University and currently represents dominant
political group Golkar in the People's Consultative Assembly.
On paper, former National Police chief Kunarto, who was sworn
in as the body's deputy chairman to replace Marathon Wirija
Mihardja in 1993, has the greatest chance to take the top post.
Gafur refused to speculate.
"The three are experienced people who fit the bill. Everything
will now depend on the President," Gafur said.
He described the selection as "a democratic deliberation to
reach mutual understanding among the factions".
He said during the meeting the United Development Party (PPP)
and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions nominated
Mukhrom As'ad and Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad
respectively for the agency's chief.
"The two factions finally dropped their bids and gracefully
accepted the three candidates," Gafur said.
"It will be a big problem if we nominate Pak Mar'ie because he
is still in the cabinet," he added.
It was the second time that PPP's nomination of Mukhrom was
turned down. But Gafur consoled the Moslem-based faction, saying
that it could still campaign for a membership seat in the body.
Sumarlin ended his service at the audit agency on Dec. 10 as
he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. The agency will be
chaired collectively by its members until a new chairman is
elected.
Former minister of finance Sumarlin was elected the chairman
of the body, replacing Gen (ret) M. Yusuf. (amd)