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.