Golkar boycotts plenary session<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
All 19 councillors of the Golkar Party skipped attending a
\nplenary session on Friday in a protest against the presence of
\nDeputy North Sumatra Governor Rudolf Pardede.<\/p>\n
The plenary session was scheduled to hear President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's annual speech, which was televised across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The Golkar members of the provincial legislative council had
\nunanimously decided not to join the meeting because Rudolf showed
\nup. They claim he is not qualified to serve as deputy governor.<\/p>\n
Marzuki, who chairs the Golkar faction in the council, said
\nthat since Rudolf remained unable to submit his university
\ndegree, he could not be considered as \"qualified\" for the second
\ntop post in North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to boycott all activities that Rudolf
\nattends until he can rectify the problem either legally or
\nadministratively,\" Marzuki told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The Golkar faction had also boycotted the swearing-in ceremony
\nof North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin and Rudolf by the
\nMinister of Home Affairs on June 16.<\/p>\n
He said Golkar's absence from the council's plenary session
\nwas not intended to belittle the President, whose unveiling of
\nthe draft 2004 state budget to the House of Representatives was
\nbroadcast live by state-owned television station TVRI.<\/p>\n
\"We followed the President's speech individually, because it
\nis our obligation as councillors,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
Deputy council speaker Saladin Siringo-Ringo, who presided
\nover Friday's plenary meeting, said the boycott by the Golkar
\nmembers should not be regretted, but urged them not to repeat the
\nmove.<\/p>\n
\"Let's be broad-minded in facing much greater duties,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, Rudolf visited the office of the Golkar
\nfaction at the council, apparently in an effort to clarify the
\nissue.<\/p>\n
He said the meeting was to improve his relations with the
\nGolkar councillors. \"The executive and legislative bodies must
\nteam up to develop North Sumatra.\"<\/p>\n
Asked about the problem with his diploma, Rudolf said it
\nshould no longer be questioned, as he had been elected as the
\ndeputy governor on May 26.<\/p>\n
The pair of Rizal and Rudolf, backed by Megawati's Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle, defeated their rival candidates
\nfrom Golkar, chief prosecutor Chairuman Harahap and deputy
\ncouncil speaker Serta Ginting.<\/p>\n
Golkar has maintained that the election of Rizal and Rudolf
\nwas legally flawed, as the latter does not have an authentic
\nuniversity degree.<\/p>",
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