Jakarta – After six months of the position being filled by Muslim officials, Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi has named Aloma Sarumaha, a Catholic, as the acting head of the Catholic Community Guidance Directorate General.
The appointment came after the ministry was flooded with criticism after a bureaucratic blunder led to two Muslim officials filling the post in succession.
"The order letter has been signed by the religious affairs minister. Per today, acting head of the Catholic Community Guidance Directorate General is Aloma Sarumaha," ministry secretary-general Nur Kholis Setiawan said on Tuesday in a release made available to The Jakarta Post.
Prior to the appointment, Aloma Sarumaha held the position of secretary in the same directorate-general.
Nur himself had previously been appointed to the role in January, replacing another Muslim official, Muhammadiyah Amin, who had filled the position since the previous director-general Eusabius Binsasi, who was a Catholic, retired last July.
Nur took the blame for the gaffe, saying he had given mistaken advice to the ministry's top brass after misreading a National Civil Service Agency (BKN) circular that regulated who could temporarily fill vacant positions in ministries and other state institutions.
"I apologize for this oversight," Nur said in a statement on Monday night. (gis)