Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. (JP/Novan Iman Santosa)

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has denied she plans to resign from her ministerial post although she admitted that she was under pressure in connection with her work.

"As long as you [journalists] are good and are not nosy, I will not resign," Susi said, jokingly, when she was asked to respond to public speculation about her resignation as reported by tempo.co.

Her statement was made when she visited her hometown, Pangandaran, West Java, on Friday to convey assistance to local fishery cooperatives.

Susi, however, admitted that she faced pressure from outsiders, but she said that she would try to maintain her position as long as she had the support of the public. She did not give details about the parties that were pressuring her.

"There are many pressures. Sometimes I feel dejected. When I was tired after doing my job, people were still grumbling at me," she said.

In a recent survey by PolcoMM Institute, Susi, who was a senior high school dropout, was the best known minister in the government. She is also considered as the minister with the most appealing performance.

Hints of her resignation have come from her own statements on several occasions. She recently said that she did not need to be in the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry for too long. Previously, she also said that she would resign if the government allowed the operation of large trawl nets drawn by 100 to 200 GT (gross tonnage) ships. (bbn)

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