DPR: Vacate the Position of Ambassador in Singapore
Friday, 02 June, 2006 | 13:05 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission for Defense and Foreign Affairs urged the government not to officially appoint its ambassador to Singapore before the extradition agreement has been approved, although according to the test two days ago Wardhana was regarded as suitable to be ambassador to Singapore. “We want this to be a serious concern,” said Theo L. Sambuaga, the commission head, when contacted in Jakarta yesterday.

Sambuaga, who is also Golkar Party politician, said that the request was agreed upon in the commission’s plenary session on Wednesday night, after carrying out a suitable test to twenty-five ambassadorial candidates. The commission’s request will be conveyed to the President via DPR leaders. The vacancy is Indonesia’s bargaining position so that the extradition agreement which was pioneered two years ago will be settled soon. The agreement is important to Indonesia because some of its criminal elements live there.

According to Djoko Susilo, a member of the Commission for Defense and Foreign Affairs from the National Mandate Party (PAN), Singapore delayed the discussion intentionally. Singapore even put forward the requirement that Indonesia sign the agreements having to do with the Military Training Area (MTA) and Flight Information Region (FIR).

MTA is an agreement to allow some parts of air, land, and sea control to be managed with Singapore. FIR permits Singapore to be the controller of disturbances in the area of Indonesia’s commercial flights which pass Singapore. MTA and FIR have already signed in the New Order era. “Now is the time for an extension.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs will consult the DPR regarding the view of the Commission for Defense and Foreign Affairs. “We will confer with the DPR,” said Yuri Oktavian Thamrin, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs. According to Yuri, Foreign Affairs Minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda and Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo will discuss this because the teams of both countries have not agreed on several matters. “It is hoped that an agreement will result from a meeting on the ministerial level,”he said.

Yophiandi Kurniawan