Fadli, Batam – A visiting Cabinet minister on Monday gave a green light to the controversial appointment of a former corruption convict to head the maritime resources and fishery office in Riau provincial administration.
According to Administrative Reforms Minister Azwar Abubakar, the promotion of Azirwan does not violate Law No. 43/1999 on the Principles of Civil Service.
"If (Azirwan was still) a convict, then it wouldn't be permitted (to appoint him). But if he has served his sentence, then there is no problem, right?" he told The Jakarta Post on the sideline of a workshop on bureaucratic reform in Batam, Riau Islands.
The law stipulates that a civil servant can be discharged honorably or dishonorably if he or she has been sentenced to prison for a period of four years or more. The law, however, does not stipulate whether an ex-convict can have a position in an administration or not.
Azirwan was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years imprisonment in 2009 for a bribe case involving the conversion of 8,000 hectares of protected forest in Bintan into a business zone. The prosecutors sought a four-year jail term for him.
While Azirwan's promotion may not violate the law, it highlights the rampant practice of corruption, collusion and nepotism in the province, according to Ahars Sulaiman of the Riau Islands Legislative Council.
He urged the government to limit the number of corruptors in the administration.
"There are indeed no rules forbidding a governor from appointing an ex-convict (into the administration). Azirwan's promotion, however, is unethical," he said. "Personally I'm baffled by the promotion. People receiving a mandate should have had no problems (with the law)."
Riau Islands Governor Muhammad Sani, meanwhile, said that the allegation that he was being insensitive to the country's attempts to eradicate corruption by promoting Azirwan was unfounded.
"The law has been upheld. Azirwan has been punished. We will constantly supervise him," Sani said. He said that he appointed Azirwan because the ex-graft convict was competent and capable of holding the position. (han)