E. Nusa Tenggara legislators elect Tallo as governor<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Kupang\/Medan<\/p>\n
Piet A. Tallo and Frans Lebu Raya were elected as the East Nusa
\nTenggara governor and deputy governor for the 2003-2008 period in
\nthe provincial capital of Kupang on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan), Tallo and Frans only just defeated Viktor B.
\nLaiskodak and Simon Hayon of the coalition faction by 28 votes to
\n27.<\/p>\n
Golkar nominees Esthon Foenay and Gaspar Parang Ehok had been
\nalready ejected from the contest in an earlier session as they
\nonly garnered 10 out of a total of 55 votes. Tallo and Frans took
\n26 votes while Viktor and Simon won 16 votes in this session.
\nThree votes were considered invalid.<\/p>\n
The election was chaired by the East Nusa Tenggara council
\nspeaker Daniel Woda Palle.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of supporters from the three factions' candidates
\ngathered at the council offices while waiting for the result.<\/p>\n
A total of 38 councillors from Golkar and the PDI Perjuangan
\nwere put up in star-rated hotels from Monday \"to make
\nconsolidation and communications easier\". Eleven councillors from
\nthe coalition faction and six from the Indonesian Military\/Police
\nfaction rejected the offer.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party regional coordinator Marzuki Darusman suddenly
\nleft the plenary hall after seeing that the party's nominees had
\nbeen defeated in the earlier session.<\/p>\n
Head of the provincial Golkar Party Daniel Woda Palle called
\non the public to accept the result.<\/p>\n
\"We all must accept the election result and it's better to
\navoid any conflicts in society,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The council will submit Tallo's and Frans' names to the
\nMinistry of Home Affairs to be approved before they are
\ninaugurated by the minister.<\/p>\n
In Medan, the North Sumatra Police declared on Thursday deputy
\ngovernor-elect Rudolf Mazuoka Pardede innocent on allegations
\nthat he had submitted fake high school diplomas in order to run
\nfor the second position in the province.<\/p>\n
Chief of Detectives Sr. Comr. Satria Hari Prasetya said that
\nthe conclusion was made based on his team's investigation into a
\njunior high school in Tanjungpinang, Riau, and a senior high
\nschool in Sukabumi, West Java.<\/p>\n
Pardede was installed on Monday along with governor-elect T.
\nRizal Nurdin by Home Minister Hari Sabarno, despite the
\nallegation, as the minister had pointedly stated that the
\ninvestigation into Pardede must go on.<\/p>\n
BPK Penabur Christian high school principal Martha
\nChristiawati had sent a letter dated May 28 to the North Sumatra
\nCouncil and the Ministry of Home Affairs, saying that Pardede had
\nbeen enrolled at the school.<\/p>\n
But Satria said that Martha was under pressure when writing
\nthe letter, but he declined to elaborate on the matter.<\/p>\n
\"The case against Rudolf Pardede is dismissed. He is innocent.
\nThe police are now focusing on an investigation into those who
\npressured Martha when she was drafting the letter,\" he said after
\nmeeting Pardede at his new office.<\/p>\n
Satria rejected speculations that the meeting was to report
\nthe investigation's result, saying that it was \"only to discuss
\ngolf\".<\/p>\n
Chairman of the council's Golkar Party faction Marzuki said
\nthat the police could not declare Pardede innocent.<\/p>\n
\"Only a court of law has the legal authority to declare
\nPardede innocent,\" he told The Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
Marzuki also refuted Satria's statement that Martha wrote her
\nletter under pressure.<\/p>\n
\"We have a witness from the Sukabumi education agency who saw
\nMartha writing the letter. This would have been impossible, if
\nshe was writing under pressure,\" he said.<\/p>",
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