BOEDIONO'S RESIGNATION AS BI CHIEF BEING PROCESSED

Jakarta, May 19 (ANTARA) - Before seeking a replacement for Boediono as Bank Indonesia (BI) governor, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is to process Boediono's resignation from the post to run for vice president.

Minister/State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said at the State Palace here on Tuesday Boediono's letter of resignation from central bank governorship was now being processed administratively so that the president could issue a relevant decree.

"Boediono's request to resign from his BI post is under process," Hatta Radjasa said, adding that the central bank governor submitted his resignation letter to President Yudhoyono on May 15, 2009 after he was chosen to be Yudhoyono's running mate in the upcoming July 8 presidential election.

Radjasa said a presidential decree on Boediono's resignation would be issued as soon as possible by President Yudhoyono and after that the head of state would find another name and submit it to the House of Representatives (DPR) to replace Boediono.

"Yes, as soon as possible. The president is never too late to do things," Radjasa said, the chairman of Yudhoyono-Boediono success team.

Radjasa said that although the position of central bank governor is void at the moment, the bank performance remains undisturbed because the mechanism in Bank Indonesia board of governors under the acting governor Miranda Goeltom is still running normal.

But Radjasa added that the president would soon find a name to replace Boediono and Miranda Goeltom because the latter would soon enter her retirement period next month.

"Without much to say we will prepare a name as soon as possible, and there will be no void in the central bank mechanism," Radjasa said.

However he admitted that he had no clue on the figures whom the president would proposed to the DPR to replace Boediono.

According to Bank Indonesia Law, the president should submit the names of central bank gubernatorial candidates to the House of Representatives to conduct fit and proper test to select one out of the names to be the central bank governor.