Nine people competing for HIPMI top post
Nine people competing for HIPMI top post
JAKARTA (JP): There are expected to be at least nine
candidates for the chairmanship of the Association of Young
Businessmen (HIPMI) at the association's national congress next
week.
The candidates include Fadjraa Oemar, an executive of a
property company; Eddy Kuntandi, the chairman of the
association's Jakarta chapter; Bambang Wiyogo, the son of the
former governor of Jakarta; and Indah Wasono, a Jakarta-based
businesswoman.
Other candidates are Reza Kamarullah, Sutrisno Bahir, both
Jakarta-based businessmen, Fauzi Usman of North Sumatra, Adi
Tjakra of West Java and I Ketut Swardana of Bali.
The winning candidate will replace Adi Taher, the son of the
former Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Achmad
Taher, whose three-year term ends this month.
The association, which is comprised mainly of young
businessmen from the elite circle of children of former
ministers, retired generals and top businessmen, is often
criticized as lacking business professionalism.
The association's members have also been criticized for being
too dependent on the government's facilities in running their
businesses.
Fadjraa, one of the candidates, acknowledged Thursday that the
association had a bad image and promised to improve the
professionalism of the association's members if he is elected.
His other policies include the expansion of the organization's
membership to young businessmen in the provinces, who account for
more than 75 percent of Indonesia's young businessmen.
"The program should be directed towards the improvement of the
business skills of young businessmen, rather than discussing how
to get facilities from the government," he said.
Other important programs, he said, were extending the access
of small-scale companies to the banking industry and helping to
stop unfair practices during the bidding for government-financed
projects.
"The collusion between government officials and certain groups
of businessmen should be stopped so that all businessmen get fair
treatment," he said.
Like Fadjraa, other candidates are also campaigning in Jakarta
and in other major cities. This year's election will be preceded
by open debates, which will be broadcast by the ANteve television
station. (hen)