Laksamana to talk with Mega about Garuda boss

Laksamana to talk with Mega about Garuda boss

Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi has yet to
make up his mind on who will lead the flagship carrier Garuda
Indonesia, saying he still needs to consult with President
Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"The decision will be made after consultation with the
president. We will make a wise decision, taking into account
people's aspirations," Laksamana told reporters on Friday.

He added that careful consideration was needed in order to
prevent a "conflict of interest."

Reports earlier said that the appointment of the new president
of Garuda would be made this week.

Following the resignation of Abdul Gani as the president in
January, the government is searching for a replacement to fill
the vacancy.

However, the selection process that followed has been mired in
controversy as it turned out that Samudera Sukardi, Laksamana's
elder brother, is among the candidates vying for the company's
top post.

While Laksamana is a top official with Megawati's Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Samudera is said to be a
member of Vice President Hamzah Haz's United Development Party
(PPP), the same party that proposed his candidacy originally.

But there has been strong opposition against Samudera, citing
potential conflict of interest, and accusations of nepotism.

Samudera has worked with Garuda for 20 years. He is now the
director of PT Abacus, Garuda's subsidiary, which handles
reservations.

The other candidates are Garuda financial director Emirsyah
Satar, operations director Rudy Hardono and engineering and
marketing director Richard Sukadarusman.

On Friday, Hamzah reiterated his support for the appointment
of Samudera.

Hamzah Haz said it would be all right for Samudera to be
appointed as the president of Garuda if he was considered the
best candidate for the post.

"If he is the best candidate, then appoint him," Hamzah said
in Bogor, West Java.

Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar said that Samudera met
all the criteria required to become Garuda's president.

Both disagreed with the opinion of many, that appointing
Samudera as Garuda chief would be counter to the government's
anti-corruption and anti-nepotism position.