Purnomo denies reports on management reshuffle at Pertamina

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro on Monday denied reports that the government will soon replace the president director of state oil and gas company Baihaki Hakim and other top leaders of the firm.

?DKPP has no plan to replace Pertamina?s board of directors. I heard such reports just from you. Sorry, I don?t know about it,? Purnomo told reporters on the sidelines of his hearing with a House commission in charge of energy and mineral resources. DKPP stands for Government Board of Commissioners for Pertamina.

The minister was commenting on Tempo daily?s reports on Monday that DKPP had considered to appoint former minister of finance Rizal Ramli to take over from Baihaki. Its plan to replace Baihaki was made in the board's meeting on Friday, the newspaper quoted a source at Pertamina as saying.

The newspaper also said that former president director of Pertamina, Murtiono, had also been mentioned by DKPP as another candidate for the firm?s top post.

Meanwhile, Ramli, who is also former coordinating minister for the economy under then President Abdurrahman Wahid, told Tempo that the news story about reshuffle at Pertamina was merely a gossip. ?Any one can be a target of gossip.? (Godang)