Legislators upset with envoy candidates
Legislators upset with envoy candidates
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A number of legislators taking part in selection hearings for 19 ambassadorial candidates have expressed their disappointment with the government for proposing candidates whom the legislators claimed were of low quality.
House defense and foreign affairs commission deputy chairman Effendy Choirie blamed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the candidates' alleged shortcomings.
"We must have a consultation meeting with the minister of foreign affairs to discuss the candidates. And we will suggest he put forward nominees with solid reputations," he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the closed-door selection hearings here on Wednesday.
He was commenting after the completion of hearings into the suitability of five candidates: Donilo Anwar, Imron Kotan, Indracahyuni, Perwito Rini and Wiyoto Pujowasito, all of whom come from within the foreign affairs ministry.
The five candidates were nominated for ambassadorial posts in the Russian Federation, Myanmar, India, Sweden and Cuba.
Fellow legislators Djoko Susilo of the Reform faction and Arif Mudatsir Mandan of the United Development Party (PPP) faction concurred, saying none of the candidates had the necessary skills and proficiencies.
"The candidates were very, very disappointing. We were upset," Djoko said, adding that this was a classic problem with the foreign affairs ministry.
Of the 19 candidates examined, only four candidates came from outside the ministry. They were international political affairs expert Juwono Sudarsono, Hasanuddin University rector Basri Hasanuddin, politician Abdullah Syarwani, and senior journalist Susanto Pudjomartono.
Some legislators disclosed that during the hearings all the candidates were required to demonstrate their merits before the commission members.
The candidates, for example, were required to show a solid understanding of domestic issues in the social, economic and political fields.
Effendy emphasized that an ambassador was not only a public relations officer, but also represented the nation overseas.
He said that besides having a mastery of the situation in the host country, a candidate should also fully understand what was happening in his own country.
Djoko revealed that some of the candidates were not able to explain the differences between Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the country's largest and second largest Muslim mass organizations.
"How then can they hope to explain about radical Islamic groups overseas?" he asked.
He also criticized the ministry of foreign affairs for its failure to ensure regeneration in its ranks. He disclosed that most of the candidates recommended by the ministry were older figures.
According to Djoko, the commission would possibly announce the outcome of the hearings on March 4 or March 5.
Wednesday's hearings were presided over by commission deputy chairman Amris Hasan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) as commission chairman Ibrahim Ambong of Golkar was in Kuala Lumpur with President Megawati Soekarnoputri's entourage at the Non-Aligned Movement conference there.