Trade Minister appoints 10 new top officials
Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu has swept a new broom through the top posts in her ministry in a bid to cut down on corruption and excessive red tape currently burdening exporters and importers.
Mari appointed 10 high-ranking officials to the five-month-old ministry on Tuesday and said she expected her new team to review all policies in the trade sector to cut down red tape in the overly bureaucratic and high-cost system.
"We are expected to improve our services to the public, establish a standard operating procedure and transparent tariffs for our services. We must eliminate illegal fees and cooperate with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)," she said.
The ministry dismissed eight senior officials from their posts and installed 10 new officials to be director generals and ministerial advisors.
The ceremony, however, left one post empty: the head of National Agency for Export Development (Nafed/BPEN).
Sources at the ministry said the post was initially reserved for marketing expert Rhenald Khasali from the University of Indonesia but due to administrative problems he was not yet employed.
Mari and Rhenald attended the ceremony and stood in the front row of guests.
"We are still looking for the right candidates. In the meantime, I will handle Nafed," Mari said, adding that she hoped the government would approve his appointment soon.
She said the government would pay particular attention to improving the export performance of the Trade, Tourism and Investment plan, which was supposed to coordinate moves to promote trade and tourism.
She would release detailed job descriptions for her top- ranking officials shortly and do the same for second- and third- echelon officials.
The government split up the Ministry of Industry and Trade into two ministries in October but the separation was not made official until almost three months later when a Presidential Regulation was issued in January.
The split was argued because global trade issues had become more complicated as were the problems faced by local industries.
The industry and trade ministries were initially merged by former president Soeharto into a single ministry in 1995 -- in anticipation of global trade liberalization following the establishment of the World Trade Organization.
Trade ministry's top lineup
Hatanto Reksodipoetro: Secretary-general
Teddy Setiadi: Inspector general
Ardiansyah Parman: Director general for domestic trade
Diah Maulida: Director general for foreign trade
Herry Soetanto: Director general for international trade cooperation
Titi Hendrawati: Head of Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency (Bappebti)
Erwidodo: Head of the Ministry's Agency for Research and Development of Trade.
Subagyo: Ministerial advisor on trade conditions
Eni Suhaeni Bakri: Ministerial advisor on small and medium trade
Hasiholan Sitompul: Ministerial advisor on trade diplomacy
vacant: Head of the National Agency for Export Development (Nafed/BPEN)
Source: Ministry of Trade