Many rent seekers in Pertamina: Baihaki

After 10 days becoming president of state oil and gas firm Pertamina, Baihaki Hakim said he faced serious challenges to clean Pertamina from its rent seekers to make Pertamina's operation more efficient, Republika reported on Monday.

"Many of Pertamina's rights to provide facilities or conduct transactions have been taken over by third parties. Those rent seekers are still trying to get short-cut ways (to achieve their targets)," Baihaki told Republika on Sunday.

He said he knew perfectly that to make Pertamina's operation more efficient and more accountable, rent seeking practices must be wiped out. "But that's not easy."

But he said he was confident that he could do that little by little as the government under President Abdurrahman Wahid had a strong commitment to root out corruption, collusion and nepotism.

"I see Gus Dur's (Abdurrahman) government has a strong political commitment (to fight corruption). Therefore, I want Pertamina's rights be returned," he said.

He said he was currently drafting major blue print for Pertamina's development toward year 2010, to make the state firm a world-class oil and gas company. Some of the measures prepared for Pertamina include internal and external measures.

Internal measures would be improving the company's efficiency in operation, while external measures include anticipation of various developments in the society including the implementation of autonomy law, oil and gas law and fluctuation of oil prices in the world market. (*)