Legislature accepts Rizal's accountability report<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
The North Sumatra legislature unanimously approved on Thursday
\nthe accountability report of Governor Rizal Nurdin, but said
\nthere was still a long way for him to go before he gets
\nreelected.<\/p>\n
All six factions in the legislature praised Rizal's
\nperformance during his five years in office, but said there were
\nseveral cases of corruption, collusion and nepotism that had not
\nbeen resolved by his administration.<\/p>\n
\"The governor was not firm enough to eradicate these practices
\nso there are some cases which his administration failed to
\naddress,\" the spokesman for the influential Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction, Marlon Purba, said.<\/p>\n
The faction, the largest in the legislature with 30 out of 85
\nseats, highlighted the alleged misuse of provincial funds
\nallocated for several road and canal construction projects across
\nthe province. The Provincial Prosecutor's Office has not moved to
\ninvestigate the cases.<\/p>\n
Rizal received compliments from the faction for his success in
\n\"creating a favorable climate\" in the province since he took
\noffice in 1998. The faction did not elaborate further.<\/p>\n
Marlon said despite the faction's acceptance of the governor's
\naccountability report, it would not automatically throw its
\nweight behind his reelection.<\/p>\n
\"Although we have nominated him as one of our gubernatorial
\ncandidates, that doesn't mean that we will vote for him. Ibu
\nMegawati is the most authoritative person to decide whether we
\nmust go for him,\" Marlon said, referring to PDI Perjuangan
\nchairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan has proposed retired major general Rizal, the
\nsecretary-general of National Resilience Institute, Lt. Gen.
\n(ret) Amir Sembiring, House of Representatives legislator Maj.
\nGen. (ret) Raja Kami Sembiring Meliala and five civilian figures
\nas gubernatorial candidates. Megawati is expected to choose one
\nof them.<\/p>\n
The deputy speaker of the North Sumatra legislature, Serta
\nGinting, echoed Marlon's view.<\/p>\n
\"Our acceptance of the governor's accountability report does
\nnot guarantee his reelection,\" Serta said.<\/p>\n
The unanimous endorsement, he added, should be read as the
\nlegislature's criticism of the governor's failure to solve some
\ngraft cases.<\/p>\n
\"Accepting the accountability report with some criticism does
\nnot mean we agree with what he has done over the past five
\nyears,\" Serta said.<\/p>\n
He suggested that all legislature members listen to their
\nconscience during the gubernatorial election scheduled for mid-
\nMay.<\/p>\n
Separately, the coordinator of the North Sumatra Legislature
\nWatch said Rizal did not deserve the legislature's acceptance
\nbecause of his poor performance in economic, sociopolitical,
\ncultural, environmental and legal affairs.<\/p>\n
\"His administration in particular has inflicted huge losses to
\nour economy for the past five years,\" Moechtar said.<\/p>\n
He expressed his disappointment with the legislature for its
\ninconsistency.<\/p>",
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