Mar'ie on shortlist for audit agency
Mar'ie on shortlist for audit agency
JAKARTA (JP): Former minister of finance Mar'ie Muhammad is on
a shortlist of three approved by the House of Representatives
yesterday to chair the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
The two other nominees are the agency's current deputy
chairman, former National Police chief Gen. (ret.) Kunarto and
economist Zaki Baridwan.
Executive members have run the agency collectively since
chairman J.B. Sumarlin stepped down after reaching the mandatory
retirement age of 65 in December.
Born in Surabaya, East Java, 59-years ago, Mar'ie made a name
for himself as a leader in the student movement in the mid-1960s.
Prior to being appointed as minister of finance during the
sixth development cabinet, the University of Indonesia economics
faculty graduate, served as director general of taxation.
Despite having a reputation as "Mr. Clean" during his tenure
as minister between 1993-1998, he was dropped by former president
Soeharto in the new cabinet.
The House of Representatives gave its approval to the
nomination list during a plenary session.
It also approved three others to be nominated to fill the
agency's deputy chairmanship and 15 to be selected to sit on the
five-member executive board.
Those in the 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.
The 15 nominated for the executive body include Rear Adm. I
Gde Artjana, Bambang Wahyudi, Amrin Siregar, Mukrom As'ad,
Muhammad Murni, Abdullah Zainie and Djunaedi.
President B.J. Habibie will make the final selection.
Who he chooses will be critical to the agency's future
direction.
Prior to retiring, Sumarlin reported the agency had found 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.
House members also endorsed yesterday the 10 nominees proposed
by the government to replace the members of the Supreme Court
approaching the mandatory retirement age.
The nominees are Achmad Syamsuddin, Arbijoto, Ben Suhanda
Syah, Djuprie, Parman Suparman, Paulus Efendi Lotulung, Syahrial
Taher, Syamsyuhadi, Usman Karim and Wiryawan. (rms)