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)