TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Ribka Tjiptaning, the chair of the House of Representatives’ Commission IX overseeing health and welfare affairs, has commented on the petition refusing her nomination as the country’s next health minister. She said the petition was made by those who despised her.
“I’m the one who is ready to run for minister, so why are they the ones who are panicked? Ribka told Tempo on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Ribka, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said she had never sullied doctors’ profession as alleged in the petition. “I also have three kids who become doctors,” she said.
The petitioners who created the plea, which was made public on www.petisionline.net, said Ribka had allegedly besmirched doctors’ profession in a House meeting on March 7, 2013 by saying that doctors were more evil than traffic policemen.
In the meeting, Ribka purportedly said that traffic policemen extorted healthy people, but doctors extorted ill people. Ribka also reportedly said that doctors were receiving an illicit 15 percent commission from every lab test.
“We hope that Joko Widodo can take this into account in selecting the next health minister,” the petitioners wrote. Virtually 4,000 people had signed the petition until last night, with 2,900 people signing from different I.P. addresses.
Ribka said the petition aimed at disparaging her and that she knew its creator. She added that she was fit for the ministerial seat, given that she had chaired the House’s health commission for two periods and that the public were aware of her performance.
SAID HELABY
