Jakarta – The Alliance to Save the Indonesian Embassy in Germany has criticized the government for proposing former Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo as the new envoy to Germany, Europe's largest economy.

The alliance stated that it had several strong reasons to criticize Fauzi's nomination, the most significant of which was his signal failure in his role as Jakarta governor. The alliance recorded that in contrast to Fauzi's educational background on city planning, Jakarta was seriously mismanaged under his tenure.

The alliance also referred to the black campaigning carried out by Fauzi's campaign team during the last gubernatorial election, saying that it proved Fauzi did not respect other cultures or pluralism.

"We also do not believe he will make any significant contribution to Germany and Indonesia's bilateral relationship. Indeed, it is rather ironic that someone with [a legacy of] so many problems should be elected as the new envoy to Germany," the alliance stated in a press statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Saturday.(dic)