Jakarta, Jan 31 (Antara) - Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan announced his
resignation from the ministerial post, a step that he believes will let
him focus and concentrate all his efforts as a participant in the
Democratic Party's presidential convention.
"I announce my resignation as trade minister, today. I want to thank my
family and friends for their support so far," Gita stated at a press
conference in Jakarta, on Friday.
Gita explained that he had taken the decision to resign as minister in
order to focus all his efforts towards his participation in the ongoing
convention organized to choose a presidential candidate for the ruling
Democratic Party for the upcoming July presidential election.
Gita Wirjawan is one of the 11 participants in the presidential
convention along with State-owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan,
Chairman of the House of Representatives Marzuki Alie, and former
Indonesian ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal.
Offering an explanation for his decision, Gita stated he was fully
aware of the fact that a major conflict of interest could have occurred,
if he still held the ministerial post and directed all his focus
towards the presidential convention.
He hoped that his decision to resign was the best step for Indonesia
and for his endeavor to become a presidential candidate in Indonesia's
current democratic and political developments.
"I have sought permission and tendered my resignation to the President and have obtained his consent," Gita claimed.
Gita's
step to resign from the ministerial post is appreciated by the ruling
Democratic Party (PD). According to PD Spokesman Ikhsan Modjo, the PD
respects his decision and understands the step taken by Gita Wirjawan to
resign.
"This
is an ethical consequence of his decision to partake in the PD
presidential convention for the 2014-2019 presidential election," noted
Ikhsan.
Ikhsan expressed his conviction that President Yudhoyono, as the
chairman of the PD, will take the necessary steps with regard to the
latest developments.
The PD spokesman stated that his party had expressed its gratitude for
the services rendered by Gita as a valuable contribution to the nation
and the state so far. The PD also prayed for his success in all his
future endeavors.
The PD believes that the resignation of Gita Wirjawan as the trade
minister will not affect the functioning and performance of the
government's cabinet under the leadership of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, Ikhsan remarked.
"The
PD is convinced that the resignation of Gita Wirjawan from the trade
ministerial post will not disturb the cabinet's performance," Ikhsan
Modjo noted.
House Speaker Marzuki Ali also lauded Gita's decision to resign, as he wanted to concentrate on the PD convention.
"I appreciate his decision to concentrate on the presidential convention," Marzuki Alie remarked on Friday.
Marzuki Alie emphasized that he had tremendous respect and appreciation
for Gita's decision, since he wanted to concentrate on the convention
and not be bogged down by major tasks in the trade ministry. So, he
chose to resign and actively follow the convention to increase his
electability.
"It is not an easy task to increase electability, hence, he decided to
resign in order to focus on the convention," Marzuki Alie, who is also
the deputy chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Democratic Party,
reported.
The
trade minister's decision to resign was also hailed by the Coordinating
Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto.
"He has resigned from the trade ministerial post merely to avoid
conflict of interest in his capacity as a state official. Thus, he can
now concentrate on the presidential convention. He made the correct
choice," Djoko Suyanto noted in his text message to Antara on Friday.
Djoko Suryanto pointed out that if he was in Gita Wirjawan's position,
he too would have also taken the same step. He explained that if a
person is sure of what he wants, but is faced with two choices, then he
must decide which one to choose.
Dino Patti Djalal, one of the 11 participants in the convention who has
also resigned as Indonesian ambassador to the United States, stated
that Gita's decision to resign was a positive step.
"This is a positive step. It will allow him to concentrate on the convention," noted Dino.
Dino argued that holding concurrent posts, as both a convention
participant and a minister, will create a negative perception in the
eyes of the public.
"The public's perception on any individual holding concurrent posts is generally negative," he explained.
However, the minister resigned amid raging controversies related to the
import of rice from Vietnam. Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa has
ordered an investigation into the alleged abuse of rice import permits.
Last year, the Trade Ministry issued a permit to import 16.9 thousand
tons of special rice, comprising 1,845 tons of the Basmati variety and
14,997 tons of the Japonica variety. The traders at the Cipinang
wholesale market have complained about the flood of imported rice, which
is allegedly more than the quantity allowed by the import permits.
Gita claimed that his ministry had issued the permits based on the
recommendations from the Ministry of Agriculture. But, Trade Minister
Suswono even urged all sides to come together for seeking clarification
on the matter, thereby categorically denying his ministry's
recommendations.
Gita, however, denied that his resignation from the ministerial post was linked to the rice import issue.
Various circles have raised questions about the minister's decision to
resign, particularly with regard to his accountability as a minister in
the face of rampant controversies.
"The resignation of Wirjawan shows that state officials lacked a sense
of responsibility with regard to their decision," Secretary General of
the People's Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) Abdul Halim pointed
out.
After all, he resigned amid the controversies related to the rice imported from Vietnam, he remarked.
Executive Director of Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ) M. Riza
Damanik emphasized that Gita should be held responsible for the
consequences of the liberalization process, which he carried out through
a number of international forums such as the APEC and the WTO with
regard to Indonesia.
"He (Gita) is willing to secure himself, hence he tendered his
resignation from the ministerial post," stressed Riza Damanik, adding
that he was keen to achieve two goals, which included securing the
interest of the developed nations and that of multinational companies.
In the meantime, Hajriyanto Toharik, executive chairman of the Golkar
Party, reported that Gita's resignation was an image building effort.
"It
is an image building measure. It is a political step often taken by
many politicians and public figures to build a positive public image,"
he argued.
Hajriyanto pointed out that so far, people have generally discredited
ministers from political parties who were accused of only being busy
handling politics for their personal gains and not serious about the
welfare of the masses.
"It is just the same. The ministers from political parties and from the
professional circles (non-political parties) are all playing politics,"
the Golkar cadre pointed out.
However,
he noted that Gita's decision to resign will not hinder the
government's cabinet performance. But, his successor must be appointed
soon.
In this case, the Ministry of Trade is awaiting President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono's decision on the appointment of another trade
minister, who will succeed Gita Wirjawan.
"We are all still awaiting the president's decision, including the one
on the appointment of an acting trade minister, who will carry out the
ministerial tasks," Trade Deputy Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi noted, after
accompanying Gita Wirjawan to a press conference on Friday.
He explained that with the resignation of Gita Wirjawan, effective
February 1, all his ministerial responsibilities have been automatically
transferred to the president. However, all the decisions made by Gita
Wirjawan will still be effective.
"The decisions made by Gita will still be effective. I believe that the
Ministry of Trade, as an institution, will consistently function as
usual," the deputy trade minister stated. ***1***
(T.A014/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 31-01-2014 22: |
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