Politically connected figures to dominate top audit agency
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives will start considering candidates for the new chairman and board members of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on Monday, with politically connected figures said to top the list.
The deputy chairman of House Commission IX for finance, Faisal Baasyir, told The Jakarta Post over the weekend that the commission would try to choose the best candidates for BPK chairman.
"What we need is figures that are independent and free of controversy. This is important because this position is crucial for our effort to fight corruption in government ... We will try to avoid vested interests," said Faisal.
Faisal is from the United Development Party (PPP).
No names have yet to be officially announced, but Faisal said that based on discussions with fellow politicians, the names include former finance minister Bambang Sudibyo, senior lecturer Hadori Junus, chairman of the Indonesian Accountants Association (IAI) Ahmadi Hadibroto and current BPK members Bambang Wahyudi, Mukrom As'ad and Amrin Siregar.
Bambang Sudibyo, who was finance minister during the Abdurrahman Wahid administration, has resumed his lecturing job at Gadjah Mada University's School of Economics. He supports the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Like Bambang, Hadori is a lecturer of Gadjah Mada's School of Economics who specializes in accounting.
A legislator who refused to be named said that Hadori was likely to be the strongest candidate because he had been nominated by the winner of the 1999 general election, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Hadori is the chairman of the Marhaenism Family Organization. It remains unclear if the organization has any connection with PDI-P.
Other candidates who have links with political parties are Mukrom As'ad and Bambang Wahyudi.
From 1989 to 1994, Mukrom was the head of the cultural and social department of the PPP and was one of the party's legislators during the 1982-1987 and 1992-1997 periods, while Bambang was a Golkar Party legislator from 1992 to 1997.
Concerning the possibility of current BPK chairman Satrio B. Judono being reelected, Faisal said the possibility was small because Satrio was nearly 65 years old, the official retirement age for BPK chairman and board members. Satrio was born in 1940.
Analysts previously said it was virtually impossible to expect the selection process to be free from political bargaining given the importance of the agency.
The BPK is tasked with examining the implementation of the state budget by the government and the financial reports of state institutions, including state-owned enterprises, with attention focused on corruption and other financial irregularities.
The agency consists of one chairman, one deputy chairman and five members. According to Law No. 5/1973, the chairman, deputy chairman and members of the BPK are nominated by the House and appointed by the president.
The five-year tenure of the current BPK chairman and members ended on Oct. 8 last year, but President Megawati Soekarnoputri extended their tenure until the election of the new chairman and board members.
Commission IX plans to screen the candidates starting on Wednesday, and will submit the results on Feb. 16 to all legislators for approval during the House's plenary session.