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House kicks off selection of 18 ambassador candidates
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All set: House of Representatives members get prepared to attend a plenary meeting at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on July 27. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A.)
T
he House of Representatives’ Commission I, which oversees defense, information and foreign affairs, on Monday kicked off a two-day selection process of candidates who will fill 18 ambassador posts.
Thirteen candidates underwent a closed-door screening process attended by Commission I members on Monday while five other candidates are scheduled to be screened on Tuesday.
Commission I deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin said the 13 candidates had career backgrounds as officials at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, while the remaining five candidates were from outside the ministry. They included prominent lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, who is proposed to fill the Norwegian ambassador post. Todung is set to attend Tuesday’s screening process.
Among candidates undergoing the screening process at Commission I on Monday include former Indonesian Ambassador to Moscow Djauhari Oratmangun, who is proposed to fill the ambassador post in Beijing, China, as well as Mongolia. Other candidates are diplomat Arif Havas Oegroseno, who is prepared to fill the Germany ambassador post, and former Bank Indonesia deputy governor and Financial Services Authority (OJK) chairman Muliaman Darmansyah Hadad, who will be placed in Switzerland.
Candidates with no diplomatic background include former North Sulawesi governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang, who once joined a presidential candidate convention held by the Democratic Party in 2014. Sinyo is set to serve as the Indonesian ambassador for the Philippines, Palau and Marshall Islands.
“The ambassadors will not only represent the Indonesian government but also have significant power to decide what is best to do for Indonesia’s relations with other countries,” Hasanuddin said. (ebf)
