17 councillors fired for defiantly voting got their choice<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso HN, The Jakarta Post, Bandar Lampung<\/p>\n
Leaders of three political parties have dismissed 17 councillors
\nloyal to Lampung governor-elect Alzier Dianis Thabrani.<\/p>\n
The 17 councillors were dismissed after they voted for Alzier
\nin the Lampung gubernatorial election in December 2002, and at
\nthe same time disregarded an instruction from the central and
\nprovincial executive board of the three parties to vote for rival
\nOemarsono, the incumbent governor of Lampung.<\/p>\n
The 17 councillors comprise 10 from the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P), six from the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) and one from the Crescent Star Party (PBB) factions.<\/p>\n
Sahzan Safri, the chairman of PDI-P's Lampung chapter, said
\nthat the party had had second thoughts about the agreement to
\nvote for Oemarsono.<\/p>\n
He said that prior to their dismissals, they had been warned
\nseveral times concerning their blind loyalty to Alzier.<\/p>\n
\"But they remained adamant, and the councillors even rejected
\na later decision by the government to annul the election of
\nAlzier,\" Safri said.<\/p>\n
Safri was referring to the 17 councillors move to file a
\nrequest for a judicial review of the central government's recent
\nannulment of the result of the gubernatorial election. The
\nrequest was filed with the Constitutional Commission.<\/p>\n
Abbas Hadisunyoto, spokesman for the 17 councillors, fought
\nback, saying that the councillors would immediately file a
\nlawsuit against the decision to dismiss them, which was made by
\nthe executives of the three political parties, both at the
\nprovincial and national levels.<\/p>\n
Abbas said that the December 2002 gubernatorial election was
\nlegal, so that the party executives did not have strong grounds
\nto dismiss them.<\/p>\n
Alzier was elected the governor of Lampung on Dec. 30, 2002,
\ndefeating then-incumbent governor Oemarsono, who was backed by
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The central government annulled Alzier's electoral victory
\nlast year after having delayed the swearing in of Alzier for
\nmonths, claiming the election had breached procedures.<\/p>\n
Police then laid graft charges against the governor-elect, and
\nMinister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno recommended a revote to
\nelect another governor while installing one of his aides as the
\nacting governor for the province.<\/p>\n
Most factions in the Lampung legislative council agreed with
\nthe call for a revote, but the council leaders, including
\nHadisunyoto, vowed to request a judicial review to challenge
\nHari's annulment of Alzier's election.<\/p>\n
Alzier is reportedly preparing to take legal action against
\nthe central government over the annulment.<\/p>\n
He is also fighting a legal battle against the state for
\nallegedly falsifying a document before his election last year.
\nThe charge carries a 10-month jail term.<\/p>\n
Alzier has been implicated in a fraud case involving 500 tons
\nof fertilizer worth Rp 502.5 million (US$59117) belonging to
\nstate-owned firm PT Pusri, and in using an illegal diploma to
\nmake him eligible for the gubernatorial election, according to
\nprosecutor R. Onggan Siahaan.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/17-councillors-fired-for-defiantly-voting-got-their-choice-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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