Councilors boycott session to endorse deputy governor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A special plenary session of the city council
\ncalled to endorse the sole candidate for deputy governor for
\neconomic and financial affairs was canceled when councilors
\nrefused to attend the session on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
According to the councilors, the candidate, Fauzie Alvi Yasin,
\nwho currently is the assistant to the city secretary in charge of
\nadministrative affairs, did not have a permit letter for his
\ncandidacy from the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n
Some of the councilors said their refusal to attend the
\nplenary session also was meant to express their disapproval of
\nGovernor Sutiyoso's decision to name only one candidate for the
\nposition.<\/p>\n
\"The governor proposed only one candidate for the post, which
\nmeans that there's no democracy or transparency,\" the adviser to
\nthe United Development Party's (PPP) faction in the council,
\nRusjdi Hamka, said.<\/p>\n
Council speaker Edy Waluyo, who was to preside over the
\nsession, also failed to appear. Some councilors said Edy set the
\ndate of the session without consulting them.<\/p>\n
The session was scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.<\/p>\n
While dozens of senior city officials, including the heads of
\nseveral city agencies, waited for the session to begin, the 75
\ncity councilors from the four factions in the council failed to
\narrive for the meeting.<\/p>\n
Members of the Golkar faction were holding a closed-door
\nmeeting in the building, while members of the Armed Forces (ABRI)
\nfaction met in another room.<\/p>\n
The sole representative of the Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI), Lukman Mokoginta, also decided to stay in his office.<\/p>\n
None of the council members from the PPP faction, which
\nstrongly opposes Sutiyoso's selection process for the candidate,
\nwere seen at the building.<\/p>\n
At 10:05 a.m., Lukman, head of the ABRI faction Sumekar, and
\nhead of the Golkar faction Fatommy Asaari held a 10-minute
\nmeeting in Sumekar's office, a few steps away from where the
\nplanned plenary session was to be held.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, a council staffer announced the plenary
\nsession was \"adjourned until further notice\".<\/p>\n
According to Fatommy, the boycott was meant \"to show
\nsolidarity\" with the PPP's opposition of the selection process.<\/p>\n
The position, which is temporarily being handled by deputy
\ngovernor for development affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi, has been
\nvacant since the middle of last year after then deputy governor
\nfor economic and financial affairs Harun Al Rasyid was promoted
\nto governor of West Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
In February, Governor Sutiyoso announced he would nominate
\nFauzie as the only candidate for the post after six possible
\ncandidates were screened by the Position and Stratification
\nAdvisory Body.<\/p>\n
The five other nominees were city secretary Fauzi Bowo, head
\nof the city development planning agency Bambang Sungkono, head of
\ncity investment management Maskup Ustianto, head of the city
\ninspectorate office Sutardjianto and head of the PPP faction in
\nthe City Council Achmad Suaidy.<\/p>\n
The election process has been opposed by several councilors,
\nwho demanded the process be based on the newly endorsed Law No.
\n4\/1999 on the formation and position of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly, the House of Representatives and Regional Councils.<\/p>\n
The law stipulates the City Council has the authority to elect
\nthe governor and deputy governors.<\/p>\n
Administration officials, however, wanted the election process
\nto follow a 1974 law which states the City Council only has the
\nright to approve candidates chosen by the administration.<\/p>\n
Separately at City Hall, the governor said there was still
\nconfusion at the Ministry of Home Affairs over the issue of the
\npermit letter.<\/p>\n
\"The ministry states that such a process within the
\nadministration doesn't need a permit letter.<\/p>\n
\"But according to a directive from the directorate general for
\ngeneral administration and regional autonomy in the ministry,
\nsuch a process needs the (permit) letter,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said he would immediately obtain a permit letter from
\nthe ministry if it was required by the council. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/councilors-boycott-session-to-endorse-deputy-governor-1447893297",
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