The dismissal was based on a March 11 presidential decree. Yudhoyono has appointed Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, former Indonesian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to replace Jumhur.

Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam said on Monday that the replacement had been made to revitalize the organization.

'€œJumhur Hidayat has served as BNP2TKI head for more than seven years,'€ Dipo was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

He added that Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar had also requested the replacement months ago.

The head of the BNP2TKI is categorized as an Echelon I or senior leadership position, as stipulated in Law No. 5/2014 on the state civil apparatus. Article 117 (1) of the law stipulates that an official can only hold a senior leadership position for five years before being transferred to another office or dismissed.

Dipo also said that Gatot was appointed due to his experience as Indonesia's ambassador in Riyadh, consul general in Jeddah and the Middle East director at the Foreign Ministry.

'€œHis experience in the Middle East and the Foreign Ministry is expected to be useful in handling the country's overseas workers,'€ Dipo said.

Furthermore, he added, the new BNP2TKI head was expected to improve the placement and protection of Indonesian workers in other regions, including Hong Kong and South Korea.

Jumhur declared on Friday his support for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), technically the largest opposition party in the country. Following his declaration, however, he refused to resign from his position.

Jumhur was first appointed the head of the BNP2TKI by Yudhoyono in 2007. (idb)

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