Appointment of Arcandra is Unethical

President Joko Widodo's plan to appoint Ignasius Jonan as minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR/ESDM) and Arcandra Tahar as Deputy minister of ESDM at the State Palace in Jakarta invited controversy. Especially for Arcandra, the appointment was considered unethical.

Arcandra Tahar

House of Representatives Commission III member Teuku Taufiqulhadi said Arcandra was suspected of hiding the US citizenship he had from President Jokowi before being appointed as minister of ESDM.

"Arcandra is no longer a legal problem," However, he was once appointed (as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources) and then dismissed by the President because of problems in terms of citizenship. It feels ethically inappropriate if he is appointed as a deputy minister of ESDM, "

Observers from the Reforminer Institute Pri Agung Rakhmanto did not expect much of the two new criminals. Jonan and Arcandra still have to learn with current energy issues.

Large-scale EMR ministerial chair vacations after Arcandra, who had lived for 20 years and was a US citizen, was removed from the position of ESDM minister.

After inaugurating Jonan and Arcandra, President Jokowi stressed that the duet would reform the energy sector and mineral resources on a large scale.

"I believe both of them are professional figures who are right and brave and have competence," said President Jokowi at the State Palace.

Ignasius Jonan

Jonan-Arcandra's inauguration was not attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Kalla claimed not to be invited to talk about the name Jonan-Arcandra. All have been discussed, but did not mention the names of people, "he said in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Jonan hasn't decided on a priority program in the first 100 days of work. ESDM Deputy Minister Arcandra Tahar said the revision of the Oil and Gas Law No. 22/2001 and the drafting of the Mineral and Coal Bill No. 4/2009 would be a work priority. According to him, the two rules are the mainstay of structuring the energy sector.

Media Indonesia, Page-1, Saturday, Oct 15, 2016.