Chances for Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo to become head of the central bank appear slim as some major factions at the House of Representatives continue to voice their concerns, which are also shared by some economists. Only two factions, the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN), have said that they will support Agus during a fit-and-proper test — an evaluation of his qualifications — at the House Commission XI, which oversees finance and banking, starting today.
The two parties have a combined 17 seats at Commission XI, which consists of 48 lawmakers. Agus needs 25 votes to be Bank Indonesia’s next governor. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that although it would not reject Agus’s candidacy, the fact that he has been implicated in two major graft scandals has become something of great concern for the party. “This is something which we will clarify,” said PDI-P lawmaker Maruarar Sirait. Commission XI is chaired by Emir Moeis, a PDI-P politician.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has questioned the minister in relation to a bribery case linked to the construction of the Hambalang sports center. The Finance Ministry reportedly approved a Rp 1.1 trillion ($113 million) budget for the project despite the House having signed off on a budget of less than Rp 300 million. Agus was accused of approving funding in another corruption case — the procurement of driving simulators for the traffic police, the tender for which was reportedly rigged and its budget inflated to twice the actual value.
The United Development Party (PPP) said on Friday that it was considering rejecting Agus’s nomination, saying that the finance minister is not fit for the job. The same goes for the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), official Ahmad Muzani said. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has aired its rejection, citing Agus’s questionable support for the Hambalang and simulator projects. The People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) joined the PKS, saying on Sunday that it had reached a final decision to reject Agus’s bid to lead Bank Indonesia.
“After consulting with our chairman Wiranto, we will ... officially reject President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s decision to name Agus as the sole candidate for BI governor post,” Hanura faction secretary Saleh Husin said. Saleh said Hanura is concerned that the president only has one candidate. “This creates the impression that the president is telling the House who to pick,” Saleh continued. PDI-P, Hanura, Gerindra, PKS and PPP have a total of 19 seats at Commission XI. Independent economist Faisal Basri also expressed his doubt on whether Agus, a former president director of Bank Mandiri, would be suited for the governor’s post, citing his inexperience in dealing with monetary issues.
“BI is not Bank Mandiri, BNI [Bank Negara Indonesia], BRI [Bank Rakyat Indonesia] rolled into one. The central bank requires another set of logic and a different set of skills,” he said. “SBY is really pushing it by nominating Agus as a sole candidate. With his experience Agus would be more suited to lead the OJK,” Faisal continued, in reference to the Financial Services Authority. Independent banking analyst Yanuar Rizky also said that Agus is more suited for a post at the OJK, saying that after the government transfers all of its supervisory authority on banks and financial institutions to the OJK, Agus’s experience as a former director of Indonesia’s biggest bank by assets will have become useless.
At Bank Indonesia, Agus “will only deal with monetary and market policies, which are not his strong suits,” he said. At the House, the key votes lay with the Golkar Party, with 10 seats at the House, and the National Awakening Party (PKB), with 2 seats. Both have remained neutral since the president named Agus as a candidate. “Golkar has neither accepted nor rejected [Agus]. We are still studying his track record,” Golkar politician Melchias Mekeng said. “We won’t rush to a decision. We will see how much Agus understands about monetary issues. Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, chief economist at Danareksa Research Institute said that he is also cautious about supporting or rejecting Agus, saying that as minister Agus “should somehow have increased his experience about managing the macroeconomy. “It will all be clear during the fit-and-proper test,” he said.
source : the jakarta globe
source : the jakarta globe
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