Lampung council rejects revote to replace Alzier<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso HN, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung, Lampung<\/p>\n
Lampung legislative council rejected on Monday the central
\ngovernment's plan to hold a revote to replace the governor-elect,
\nAlzier Dianis Thabranie, whose swearing-in was suspended over
\ncorruption charges.<\/p>\n
"We held an election to select the governor in compliance with
\nprocedures, so there is no reason for the central government not
\nto swear in Alzier Dianis Thabranie. He was elected
\ndemocratically," council speaker Abbas Hadisunyoto said.<\/p>\n
He was speaking to journalists after presiding over a plenary
\nsession of the council in Bandarlampung, Lampung.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri would likely annul the result of
\nthe gubernatorial election on Dec. 30, 2003, and ask the Lampung
\nlegislature to run it again.<\/p>\n
Abbas said the council's support for Alzier remained solid,
\nciting the failure of Monday's session to approve a proposal to
\nevaluate the council's leadership following the delayed
\ninauguration of the governor-elect.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, at least 42 councillors voted against the
\nproposal to evaluate the council's leadership, and 31 others, who
\nwere opposed to Alzier's election, supported the request.<\/p>\n
"The vote shows that my leadership is still backed by most of
\nthe council members. That's why there is no reason to hold a
\nrerun election," asserted Abbas, one of Alzier's staunch
\nsupporters.<\/p>\n
He said the council would take legal action if Megawati
\ndecided to annul the outcome of the gubernatorial election.<\/p>\n
Alzier won the December election to defeat incumbent Lampung
\nGovernor Oemarsono, backed by Megawati, who also chairs the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).<\/p>\n
Oemarsono's defeat resulted in the dismissal of Abbas and nine
\nother councillors in support of Alzier from PDI Perjuangan.
\nHowever, Abbas still retains the post of council speaker.<\/p>\n
Megawati, widely accused of authoritarian rule for her blatant
\ninterventions in the elections of governors, regents and mayors,
\nis expected to face difficulties in canceling Alzier's victory,
\nas such an annulment must first be proposed by council leaders.<\/p>\n
Apart from Abbas, his three deputies -- Abdul Azib Zanim of
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN), Mochtar Hasan of the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) and Zulkarnain of the Golkar Party -- are
\nalso supporters of Alzier.<\/p>\n
Chairperson of the PDI Perjuangan faction in Lampung council
\nNurhasanah said a number of councillors would submit a request to
\nthe council leaders for a rerun of the election.<\/p>\n
They will ask council leaders to convene a plenary session to
\ncancel Alzier's election, she added.<\/p>\n
"But that will be hard to pull off because Abbas is still
\nbacked by his deputies and many other pro-Alzier councillors,"
\nNurhasanah said.<\/p>\n
Abbas and his colleagues had, on at least seven occasions,
\ntraveled to Jakarta to meet Megawati to ask her to issue a decree
\non the swearing-in of Alzier. But the President apparently
\nrefused to receive them due to their defiance of her order to
\nsupport Oemarsono.<\/p>\n
Opposition to the plan for a revote to replace Alzier also
\ncame from several non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n
"If the election is rerun, money politics will recur. In the
\nDecember election, each of the councillors received between Rp 25
\nmillion and Rp 1 billion from gubernatorial candidates," said
\nAhmad Yulden Erwin, coordinator of the Anticorruption Committee.<\/p>\n
Alzier has been receiving treatment at Bumi Waras hospital,
\nBandarlampung, for pancreatic cancer since last Thursday. He was
\nin detention for several weeks at the National Police
\nHeadquarters while facing an investigation into graft charges.<\/p>\n
The elected governor is seeking a delay of his detention to
\nundergo medical care in Japan.<\/p>\n
His room at the hospital was tightly guarded by prosecutors in
\nLampung, who allowed only his relatives to visit.<\/p>",
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