Power issue seen as a plot to remove Purnomo
Tuesday, October 24 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro has become a target of certain people in the ministry who are loyalists of former ministers Kuntoro Mangkusubroto and Ginandjar Kartasmita, according to a source.
The source said that the current high profile issue of the alleged corruption in the high voltage electricity relay station (GITET) connecting East Java and West Java, and in the private power project were part of the grand plan.
The source said that Purnomo would not be able to work efficiently if the loyalists of Kuntoro continued to disturb him with various issues.
Kuntoro was the former minister of mines and energy under the previous administration. Kuntoro ousted Purnomo from the ministry when the former was still in power. Kuntoro is now president of the state-owned electricity firm PLN.
Ginandjar was a long-serving minister both under the Soeharto era and the Habibie administration. He has been allegedly involved in corruption in several projects in the oil and gas, mining and power sector in the past.
The source said that Kuntoro seemed to have sensed that he was about to be ousted by Purnomo, and before that happened he intentionally disclosed to the press about the power issue.(R. Amoros)