JAKARTA, Jan 26 : Indonesia’s parliament is set to give its initial approval for a new member of the central bank’s board late on Monday, once it has completed competency tests for President Prabowo Subianto’s nephew Thomas Djiwandono and two other nominees.
The parliament’s finance commission is scheduled on Monday afternoon to conduct tests for Thomas, a deputy finance minister, and Dicky Kartikoyono, a career central banker, the commission chair Mukhamad Misbakhun said.
The nomination of Thomas has heightened investor concerns about the independence of Bank Indonesia (BI), driving the rupiah to a record low of 16,985 per dollar last week. It recovered late in the week after BI kept rates unchanged in a bid to shore up the currency.
On Friday, the commission interviewed candidate Solikin M. Juhro, an assistant to BI governor. As part of the test, candidates must present their vision statements and face questions from lawmakers.
The commission’s approval of one new board member will then be subject to a wider parliamentary vote, which is expected to take place on Tuesday, Misbakhun said in a statement on Friday. Parliament usually endorses the commission’s decision.
