Theo tipped as envoy to Australia

Theo tipped as envoy to Australia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Golkar Party deputy chairman Theo Sambuaga is widely tipped to
become the next Indonesian ambassador to Australia after the
current envoy was called home to fill a senior position in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat returned to Jakarta on
Saturday, a spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra told
The Jakarta Post.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday that
Sudjadnan, 49, would be installed as the secretary-general of the
ministry on May 3. Australian sources described Sudjadnan as a
"protege" of Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda.

"Hassan is trying to make the foreign ministry a more
professional outfit. He is installing his people in key
positions," the source said.

The Indonesian Embassy spokesman in Canberra said senior
diplomat Imron Cotan would act as charge d'affaires until a new
ambassador was appointed. "It may take up to three months before
we get a new ambassador," the spokesman said. "We don't know who
it is going to be."

But several sources told the Post that Sambuaga, 52, was
expected to be the new ambassador.

Sambuaga, who was first elected to the House of
Representatives in 1982, was appointed minister of manpower in
March 1998 and two months later was made minister of public
housing in then president B.J. Habibie's reform cabinet.

Sambuaga, who was educated at the University of Indonesia and
Johns Hopkins University in the United States, has declined to
comment on the speculation.

Australian and Indonesian officials dismissed speculation that
there was anything controversial about the recall of Sudjadnan,
only 14 months into a three-year posting.

"It would be wrong to characterize this as a recall of the
ambassador in a customary diplomatic sense," a spokesman for
Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said.

"He has been appointed to a new and senior position in the
Indonesian foreign ministry. We have worked very well with him
and wish him well in the future."

Elsewhere, Yasril Ananta Baharuddin, a member of the House of
Representatives' Commission I for defense, foreign, and political
affairs said Sudjadnan was recalled not because of any lack of
competence but rather because the country needed his skills in
the foreign ministry.

He said that Sudjadnan's replacement could come from outside
the ministry. "The most important thing is, he (Sudjadnan's
successor) has a comprehensive knowledge of international
politics and understands the national interest," Yasril said.

Yasril's colleagues on the commission, Djoko Susilo and
Permadi, urged the government to appoint a qualified candidate to
Canberra.

Permadi, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) faction, said the candidate must put the national
interest first and dare to counter provocative statements from
the host country on every issue, including the separatist
movement in Papua. He did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Djoko Susilo of the Reform faction suggested that
the successor to the current ambassador should not come from
within the foreign ministry.

Both Djoko and Permadi admitted that they had no idea about
who the candidates for the ambassadorship in Sidney were.

"We will probably be given their names after the end of the
recess," said Permadi, referring to the House recess that will
last until May 10.