House to decide top officials of oil, gas regulatory body Thursday

The House of Representatives (DPR) will on January 30 (Thursday) decide nine people for top posts at the newly formed regulating agency which manages oil products and their distribution along with natural gas pipeline transportation, a government official told Petromindo.Com Wednesday.

?DPR has planned to hold an internal meeting Thursday evening to decide board members of the regulating body,? said TA Nur Winakun, spokesman and head of the legal affairs section at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

On Tuesday, a team of House members started conducting a fit and proper test on 18 people, of whom nine will be appointed chairman and members of the management board of the regulating body. President Megawati Sukarnoputri had submitted to the House the names of the 18 people.

Six candidates were examined on Tuesday namely legislator Tubagus Haryono; Agus Budi Hartono, an executive of PT Elnusa Petrofin; Hanggono Tjahjo Nugroho from National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas); Arie Yoewono from the education and training center of Migas; Hairiyati AL, former executive of state gas transmission and distribution PGN; and TA Nur Winakun.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the House team will examine the remaining 12 candidates including Iwan Faidi, an executive of Indonesia Bank Restructuring Agency; Lubna Amir, a business consultant; Hisyam Pribadi, former executive of PT Arun NGL; Eri Purnomo Hadi, chairman of Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association; Santo Adrianus Bachtiar Siagian, an executive of a privately owned telecommunications firm; and Sunoto Murbani from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The formation of the regulating body was based on the current oil and gas law which became effective late in 2001. (godang)