"I am grateful to have been entrusted with becoming the president director of the ANTARA News Agency. This task is definitely a mandate as well as a responsibility that must be carried out properly," he told ANTARA here on Friday.
Munir was installed as ANTARA's president director based on the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir's decision, communicated via Decree Number SK-214/MBU/07/2023 dated July 28, 2023.
Through the decree, the minister also appointed Irfan Junaidi as ANTARA's news director in place of Munir.
The agency's previous president director, Suryodiningrat, was installed as the Indonesian Ambassador to Romania and Moldova by President Joko Widodo on June 26, 2023.
Munir said he is proud to continue the legacy of Suryodiningrat, who led the ANTARA News Agency well for seven years.
According to him, the mandate is a responsibility for him and the board of directors to continue to advance the national news agency.
"The hope is that ANTARA will become a leading reference of news, authoritative (reporting), have good business performance, and be respected on the international stage," he said.
The SOEs Minister has also appointed Kemal Effendy Gani as chairperson of the supervisory board of ANTARA based on Decree Number SK-215/MBU//07/2023.
"I thank Professor Widodo Muktiyo (former chairperson of the supervisory board) and Mr. Dimas (Suryodiningrat's nickname) who have led ANTARA to perform well," he said.
Munir expressed the hope that the capacity, competence, and experience of the two new ranks at the ANTARA News Agency would contribute to the nation and state, and encourage the news agency to improve and become more advanced.
Munir served as ANTARA's news director from 2018 to April 2023. Then, on April 12, 2023, his tenure as news director was extended.
Munir, who was born in Sumenep, East Java, on December 15, 1966, graduated from Sumenep 1 High School in 1985. He graduated from the Faculty of Political and Social Science of Jember University in 1991. He is married to Erva Agushinta (46).
One year after graduation, he joined ANTARA's East Java Bureau as a junior journalist. Before joining ANTARA, he had worked as a reporter in Suara Akbar, Jember.
From 1992 to November 2008, he carried out his daily duties as a reporter before being appointed the editor and senior editor of the East Java Bureau. Entering 2008–2009, he was made the chief of ANTARA's Bengkulu Bureau.
Thereafter, Munir, whose life motto is "work patiently, sincerely, and consistently," returned to East Java.
From 2009 to March 2010, Munir was the assistant news manager at ANTARA's East Java Bureau. He was later made the chief of ANTARA's East Java Bureau, a post he held from 2010 to late 2017.
Munir served as chairperson of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) of East Java for two terms (2010–2019) and is currently the deputy general chairperson of Central PWI for the regional field (2018–2023).
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Translator: Luthfia Miranda, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
