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Jokowi must appoint professional as energy minister, analyst says
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Dismissed – Arcandra Tahar (right) walks with his predecessor, former energy and mineral resources minister Sudirman Said, after their handover ceremony in Jakarta in July. (Tempo/-)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo should appoint a professional energy and mineral resources minister to avoid a conflict of interest, an expert has said.
An energy economic observer from Gadjah Mada University, Fahmy Radhi, said the person appointed to replace Arcandra Tahar, who was dismissed Monday evening, should have the power to keep interest groups in the energy and mineral resources sector from gaining personal profit from Indonesia’s natural resources.
Fahmy said Jokowi could consider several professionals as Arcandra’s replacement, such as state oil and gas company Pertamina’s upstream director Syamsu Alam.
“Syamsu has vast experience and had a long career with Pertamina. He is also not affiliated with any group known to be involved in 'mafia' practices,” Fahmy told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Although he suggested Jokowi appoint someone with a professional background, Fahmy acknowledged that some politicians, such as Satya Widya Yudha from the Golkar Party and Kurtubi from the NasDem Party, were capable of leading the ministry.
“Satya and Kurtubi have long careers in energy businesses. They both hold Master's degrees in petroleum engineering from universities abroad. Unfortunately, they are politicians,” he said. (rez/ebf)
