Council tries to make election look democratic<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The City Council officially announced on Thursday that it
\nwould extend an opportunity for the public to nominate candidates
\nfor the gubernatorial election, but analysts viewed the offer as
\na pointless exercise intended only to convince the public that
\nthe election was democratic.<\/p>\n
\"People can nominate themselves or other people as long as
\nthey meet the requirements,\" the election committee chairman Edy
\nWaluyo, who is also the council's deputy chairman, told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
Edy said a candidate, according to the requirements, should be
\nat least a senior high school graduate, declare his of her assets
\nand secure a permit from his superior if he or she is a civil
\nservant or military\/police officer.<\/p>\n
He said that individuals or mass organizations were invited to
\nregister themselves or their candidates between June 10 and June
\n21.<\/p>\n
The candidates would first be selected by the council's 11
\nfactions between July 16 and Aug. 5 before the city's 83
\ncouncillors elected a new governor and deputy governor on Sept.
\n17.<\/p>\n
Before the election, the candidates were also required to
\ndeliver a vision and mission statement about Jakarta before the
\ncouncil's plenary meeting between Aug. 6 and Aug. 14.<\/p>\n
If there were no objections from the public, the newly elected
\ngovernor and deputy governor would be sworn in on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n
Objections from the public, especially over possible money
\npolitics and bribery, should be submitted to the electoral
\ncommittee within three days of the election at the latest.<\/p>\n
It will be difficult for such complaints to succeed, however,
\nas they have to be confirmed by written statements from more than
\none councillor.<\/p>\n
Separately, head of the urban division of the Jakarta Legal
\nAid Institute (LBH) Tubagus H. Karbyanto viewed the council's
\nannouncement as being pointless.<\/p>\n
\"It's just paying lip service ... To make it look like a
\ndemocratic and transparent election,\" Tubagus said.<\/p>\n
He doubted that the candidates nominated by the public would
\nbe elected by the councillors as they had their own candidates.<\/p>\n
Azas Tigor Nainggolan, the chairman of the Jakarta Residents
\nForum, concurred with Tubagus, saying that the City Council had
\nnever been serious about involving the public.<\/p>\n
However, he said the LBH and several non-governmental
\norganizations would nominate candidates for the office of city
\ngovernor, including women's activist and lawyer Nursjahbani
\nKatjasungkana and urban planning expert and architect Marco
\nKusumawijaya.<\/p>\n
\"It's just a new departure even though the councillors won't
\nelect them. We will discuss it next week,\" Tubagus said.<\/p>\n
So far, the council has received nine nominations from
\nindividuals and mass organizations.<\/p>\n
Among the organizations, the Indonesian Disabled Veterans
\nCorps nominated the incumbent city governor, Sutiyoso, to be
\nreelected for a second five-year term.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso, who has expressed his readiness to be reelected,
\nwill also reportedly be nominated by the Unity and Justice Party
\n(PKP).<\/p>\n
He has also individually been supported by councillors from
\nthe largest faction on the council, the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the United Development Party
\nand the Indonesian Military (TNI)\/Police faction.<\/p>\n
Other strong candidates are the current Deputy Governor for
\nSocial Welfare Affairs Djailani and City Secretary Fauzi Bowo,
\nwho is reportedly supported by councillors from the National
\nMandate Party (PAN) and some smaller factions. But it is still
\nunclear which factions will officially nominate them.<\/p>\n
The PDI Perjuangan, which has 30 seats on the council, is
\ndivided over the election as it has reportedly nominated both
\nits central board deputy chairman Roy BB Janis and city chapter
\nchairman and the council deputy chairman Tarmidi Suhardjo.<\/p>",
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