Samudera tales case to rights body

Samudera tales case to rights body

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. --JP