FOUR MINISTERS TO ATTEND UGM ALUMNI CONGRESS

Yogyakarta, July 24 (ANTARA) - Four ministers are expected to attend the Eleventh National Congress of the Alumni Association of the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) being held here, 24-26 July 2009.

The four ministers are Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto who is concurrently chairman of the UGM's Alumni Association (Kagama), State Apparatus Minister Taufiq Effendi, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari and National Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo.

"Boediono, former governor of Bank Indonesia and vice president elect, is also expected to participate in the congress," Minister Djoko Kirmanto, said here on Thursday when giving a press conference on the congress.

He said each of the ministers would hold a national dialog concerning issues related to their responsibility. The congress is expected to yield a number recommendations to be presented as inputs to the new administration to be set up next October.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was initially scheduled to officially open the congress on Friday (July 24) but he canceled the plan following bombings which hit two five star hotels in Jakarta last Friday (July 17).

The bombings attacked JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels and killed 9 people and injured 53 others including foreigners.

"Before the bombing incident hitting Jakarta, the President already expressed his willingness to be present in the congress, but, after the bombings, he decided to cancel all his activities to be held outside Jakarta as he prefers to focus on the handling of the incident," Minister Kirmanto said.

Kagama has around 200,000 members throughout Indonesia and overseas, and about 700-850 people are expected to participate in the congress being held coinciding with the 60th anniversary of UGM.

In the congress, Kirmanto, as the Kagama chairman, will deliver his report on the working programs conducted over the past four years.