Iin Arifin Takhyan to become Pertamina?s new president: Report

A government team has decided to recommend Iin Arifin Takhyan as the new president of state oil and gas company Pertamina to replace Widya Purnama, according to news portal Detik.com

Quoting a source at the Office of Minister of State Enterprises, the website said on Thursday that the so-called Final Assessment Team submitted the recommendation to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for approval.

?Minister of State Enterprises is expected to announce the replacement of Widya before Sept. 11,? the source said.

The source said Iin, who is now the Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, was considered the best of all the candidates examined by the team as he was knowledgeable about the existing regulations and where Pertamina should be led to.

?Pertamina is expected to become equal with other oil and gas contractors such as Exxon,? he said.

Widya, who took the leadership of Pertamina last year, has disappointed several governmental officials following his reluctance to accept the agreement between the government and American energy firm ExxonMobil that allows the American firm to develop the Cepu block in an equal partnership with Pertamina. Widya wants Pertamina to become a majority shareholder in the block. (*)