Indonesia to Fill Top Posts in Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources Soon

Fifteen industry professionals have been shortlisted to fill the top five positions in Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, including the post of director of oil and gas, with President Joko Widodo expected to announce the appointments soon, local daily The Jakarta Post reported Tuesday.

The candidates -- comprising incumbents and officials from institutions not within the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry as well as those from companies that operate in the energy and mining sectors -- were shortlisted following a selection process that was opened to the public since late last year.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources submitted the names of three candidates to fill vacancies for each of the five posts, which are the:

• director general of oil and gas
• director general of mineral and coal
• director general of electricity
• director general of new-renewable and conservation of energy
• secretary-general at the National Energy Council

"We are happy that the selection committee came up with good names. Whoever among these three names for each post ends up being selected, I will be relieved because they are good people,” Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said, as quoted in The Jakarta Post.

Incumbents working on petroleum issues that made it to the shortlist include IGN Wiratmaja Puja (acting director for oil and gas) in the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Muhamad Husen (former director for upstream at Indonesia's national oil company PT Pertamina) and Jugi Prajogia (president director of PT Pertagas Niaga, a unit of Pertamina).

The list of candidates for the positions in the ministry, as provided by the Indonesia daily, are:

• Agoes Triboesono
• Andhika Prastawa
• Arya Rezavidi
• Bambang Gatot Ariyono
• Edi Prasodjo
• Faizul Ishom
• I Gusti Nyoman Wiratmaja Puja
• Jarman
• Jugi Prajogio
• Montty Girianna
• Muhamad Husen
• Muhammad Said Didu
• Rida Mulyana
• Ronggo Kuncahyo
• Satry Nugraha

The open selection process for top positions was introduced in December 2014 to improve corporate governance in the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, which has been hit by several high-profile corruption scandals in recent years.