TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jokowi must appoint professional as energy minister, analyst says
Change Size
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)
![A man walks across a pedestrian crossing near a billboard depicting named Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading “the honest [person's] promise“ and in Persian “Israel is weaker than a spider's web“, in Valiasr Square in central Tehran on April 15, 2024. Iran on April 14 urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a deadly strike on its consulate building in Damascus.](https://img.jakpost.net/c/2024/04/16/2024_04_16_149344_1713260233._medium.jpg)
