19 October 2009

Roy Suryo...


Perhaps it is only fair to give the man his full title, Kanjeng Raden Mas Temenggung Roy Suryo Notodiprojo or KRMT Roy Suryo. After all, if you have a royal sounding title you have probably earned it. Roy Suryo, as he is known to his mates, is a self-proclaimed and self-taught expert on telematics. If you do not believe him, then you should just ask him.

The man is never short of a comment, and funnily enough is pretty regularly called in to pass expert commentary. Some of his better performances have been to equate bloggers and hackers as being one of the same. As a witness for the prosecution in the ongoing Prita Mulyasari dispute he offered up in his expert testimony, allegedly, that Prita intended to distribute the email because she sent it to all her friends, and did not CC or BCC the email. Therefore, this was sufficient to prove that the intent to defame had been made out.

He is close to the President, and has in fact speared the president and the president's party for large sums of cash to set up a website.

But, even more interesting is that this fellow is the master manipulator and promoter of an image, his own. So, the idea that he was seriously being considered for the position of Minister of Communication and Information should be taken with a grain of salt. It would have been a bad choice because he would have come to the position with a good number of Indonesian citizens questioning his expertise, his skills, and his ability to perform the role.

However, for his part, Roy Suryo contacted the press to let them know that he was OK with the president's choice not to appoint him to the ministerial role. Yet, at the same time as saying that he understood the president's choice, he was going on the offensive and after the person that is expected to get the nod for the ministerial slot, Tifatul Sembiring.

Sembiring has been outed as a polygamist. Although, polygamy is discouraged, it is not illegal. Provided that it is done in a manner that conforms to the prevailing laws and regulations then it is legal. Nevertheless, Roy took the opportunity to openly question whether Sembiring's polygamy would impact on his ability to do his job as the Minister of Communication and Information. I would have figured that communication and information would have had to be something that Sembiring was good at with two wives.

Seriously though, here is a fella that cannot distinguish between bloggers and hackers wondering out loud whether polygamy is going to be a hindrance to Sembiring in doing his job. Seems a little on the rich side for me.

It is worth noting that in all the high profile cases of late that Roy Suryo has appeared for the prosecution, there has been a vigorous defense put on highlighting the fact that Roy Suryo's standards as a telematic expert or in the field of digital forensic science are lacking. This is particular so in the case of Ananda Mikola and Marcella Zalianty.

I am not an expert on telematics or technology in a general sense. However, I would be concerned if I was an Indonesian and the idea of making this bloke the minister was in fact real. He really has not shown over the years to be up to the job.

That is not to say that Sembiring has shown himself to be up to the job either. But, his practice of polygamy is not a key indicator in his job performance or ability to do the job, is it?

9 comments:

Katadia said...

To answer your question, um, probably not. I wondered what made him got the post (apart from the fact that he was a party leader), and then I remembered: Of course.... his superb "berbalas pantun" skill!

This guy is one smooth operator!

Anonymous said...

just wondering, "wondering out lid", is it a typo? did you mean wondering out loud?

Anonymous said...

you wrote "wondering out lid", did you mean "wondering out loud"?

Rob Baiton said...

KD...

:D

Ryosaeba...

"loud"

thanks, and corrected.

Unknown said...

Rob,

Considering Roy Suryo's past performace, I cannot imagine Roy Suryo as minister of Kominfo.

I hope that when Tifatul Sembiring has been inducted, he would not be promote polygamy.

Rob Baiton said...

Harry...

Here' the thing. I can imagine Roy Suryo as Menkominfo, it would be a mess.

On the polygamy front. Polygamy is not illegal in Indonesia. Even though the practice is discouraged, but the crucial point here is that it is not illegal. Nevertheless, it is prohibited for civil servants.

So, the Indonesian Constitution would conceivably protect those who practice polygamy from discrimination. In essence, what Roy Suryo was suggesting was that people who practice polygamy should be discriminated against because anyone who practices it cannot be successful in public service.

By logical extension, if Roy believes that polygamy brings into question Sembiring's ability to be Menkominfo, then it would make sense that Rhoma Irama's qualifications and skills in music should be questioned because he is a polygamist as well, right?

My real point though was that this was a cheap shot by Roy Suryo. He needs to come up with some stats and figures that show polygamy to be a hindrance to public service, if not then he should reconsider what he said.

I am not pro-polygamy, but if it is not illegal then in essence people who practice it can promote it as an alternative to other available, and legal, marriage practices.

If one is worried about promoting polygamy, then the very fact that SBY is appointing a polygamist to the cabinet in effect says that polygamy will not be considered as a hindrance to becoming a minister. So, does that not promote polygamy in its own right?

oigal said...

As a man I have raise the matter of Polygamy with the one that matters...
Apparently its not an option. Curiously, the opinion was delivered with a degree of passion along with something about a sharp knife and rather frightening image of a radical procedure in places where sharp objects should never be seen.
Shame really, I did point out the advantages of alternate washing days (again not so well received..go figure)

Aries said...

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Rob Baiton said...

Stump...

You are a brave man! :D

So, I guess your missus is not going to be giving the seal of approval to a second wife then?

Aries...

Thanks. I guess now I have to pass it on to other bloggers, right?