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)