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.