Samudera asks Komnas HAM to probe Garuda chairmanship case

Tertiani ZB Simanjutak The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Samudera Sukardi, the elder brother of state minister for state- owned enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Tuesday to probe whether or not his basic human rights were violated when he was denied the Garuda directorship at the last minute.

Samudera said after a meeting with commission members that being the elder brother of Laksamana should be no reason for denying him the post of Garuda's president director.

"It was not my will to be born as Laksamana's brother, who turns out to be a minister. As a human being, I'm entitled to a decent living and to develop my career," said Samudera, currently the director of Garuda subsidiary P.T. Abacus.

The government appointed Indra Setiawan as Garuda's new president director last Monday, sidelining the strongest candidate Samudera.

Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar told Samudera last week that his appointment letter had gone missing and that his installation had been postponed indefinitely.

Samudera said Laksamana had invited him and his wife officially last Wednesday to attend his installation on Friday, but the ceremony was canceled without a satisfactory explanation.

"At 5 p.m. on Friday, a deputy from the state ministry for state enterprises asked me to withdraw my candidacy and offered me an ambassadorial post in Japan," he said at the Komnas HAM headquarters.

"Had I been told that I was not qualified for the post because I was a brother of Laksamana, I would have not undergone the fit and proper test," he said.

Komnas HAM members B.N. Marbun, Bambang W. Suharto and Soegiri assured Samudera on Tuesday that the commission would ask the Office of the State Ministry for State Enterprises about the requirements and process of the fit and proper test to find out whether or not Samudera had received unfair treatment.

"We deem the cancellation as inappropriate ... the government seems to have sacrificed a professional to portray an anti- nepotism image," Marbun said.

Bambang added that the treatment handed out to Samudera set a bad precedent for government's campaign against corruption.

"I assure you that none of the prevailing regulations forbid siblings to hold posts in state institutions," Bambang said.