Kunarto not to vie for top audit agency post
JAKARTA (JP): Former national police chief Gen. (ret) Kunarto has pulled his name from those being considered for the Supreme Audit Agency's (BPK) top post in protest over what he perceived as an effort by President B.J. Habibie to force a certain deputy chairman on him.
His withdrawal leaves the field to only two nominees for Habibie to appoint: former minister of finance Mar'ie Muhammad and economist Zaki Baridwan.
Kunarto told The Jakarta Post yesterday he would be "unable" to perform even if he was appointed. "It's a matter of principle," Kunarto said.
Although Habibie has yet to issue any presidential decree on his appointment, Kunarto said he had heard that support for him to chair the agency had grown and "crystallized".
However, he could not agree with the planned appointment of Rivai Siata to be the agency's deputy chairman.
Kunarto said his experience working with Rivai in the agency for the past few years had led him to believe that he would never be able to cooperate with him.
"I've told (Minister/State Secretary) Akbar Tanjung, that I don't want Rivai to be the deputy chairman... but it seems that (my wish) was ignored," said Kunarto, who had told Kompas he disliked Rivai even though the man was close to Habibie and hailed from the president's province of South Sulawesi.
"So, I'd rather withdraw from the shortlist... What's the use of becoming chairman of an agency which is supposed to be independent (from the state), if from the beginning you cannot even have a say on who's to be your deputy," he added.
Kunarto argued that his predecessors in the past had had a greater say than he did over who were to be their deputies.
"In this era of reform, this (the insistence of the government to impose its choice of officials) is a setback," he said.
Last month, the House of Representatives approved the short- listing of Kunarto, Mar'ie Muhammad and Zain Baridwan for the post.
Executive members have run the agency collectively since former chairman J.B. Sumarlin stepped down after reaching his retirement age of 65 last December.
The House has also approved three others to be nominated to fill the post of deputy chairman and 15 to be selected to sit on the five-member executive board.
Those running for deputy chairman are Rivai Siata, currently a member of the executive board; Bambang Wahyudi, an economics lecturer at the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University; and Bambang Triadji.
Prior to retiring, Sumarlin reported the agency had discovered that the government had lost billions of rupiah due to poor financial management over the second semester of the 1996/1997 fiscal year.
The losses were the result of 607 "irregularities" the agency found in its audit of the state budget.
Sumarlin strongly suggested that the House revise the 1973 law on the audit agency, saying it did not enable the agency to follow up on its findings. (aan)