PDI-P backs ex-generals for top post in North Sumatra<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has
\nnamed four retired Army generals as gubernatorial candidates to
\nlead the province of North Sumatra for the next five years.<\/p>\n
Budi Mulya Bangun, a legislator of the party's provincial
\nchapter, confirmed on Friday that the PDI Perjuangan executive
\nboard had proposed the four candidates to the North Sumatra
\nchapter.<\/p>\n
"The four are outgoing governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin, Maj. Gen.
\n(ret) Samsyir Siregar, ex-chief of the former State Intelligence
\nCoordinating Board (Bakin), former chief of the East Java
\nMilitary Command Maj. Gen. Sudi Silalahi, and former chief of the
\nTrikora Military Command Maj. Gen. (ret) Radjakami Sembiring," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Rizal, whose term of office will end June 2003, is also former
\nchief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing both North
\nand West Sumatra and Riau, while Radjakami is also deputy
\nchairman of PDI Perjuangan.<\/p>\n
Budi explained that his party was determined to select its
\ngubernatorial candidates from the military, to maintain the unity
\nof pluralist groups in the province.<\/p>\n
The province, home to Malay, Batak, Javanese, Acehnese,
\nChinese and Minangkabau ethnic groups and various religions, is
\nprone to sectarian and ethnic conflicts and in the past, several
\nchurches in the provincial capital were bombed.<\/p>\n
Friday was opening day for the registration of gubernatorial
\ncandidates, but by evening, no candidates had registered with the
\ngubernatorial election committee.<\/p>\n
Golkar was scheduled to nominate the deputy chairman of the
\nprovincial legislature, Abdul Wahab Dalimunthe, but the party
\nfaction has yet to register him with the election commission.<\/p>\n
Rizal confirmed that he would contest in the gubernatorial
\nelection for his second period with political support expected
\nfrom PDI Perjuangan.<\/p>\n
He called on the gubernatorial election committee and non-
\ngovernmental organizations to closely monitor the election to
\nprevent it from being contaminated by money politics. Azwir
\nSofyan, a provincial legislator of the National Mandate Party,
\nagreed and said they should also be wary of possible graft cases
\nduring the election.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Fachriza Marta Tandjung, coordinator of the North
\nSumatra Crisis Centre (NSCC), expressed her skepticism that the
\ngubernatorial election would be free of money politics.<\/p>\n
Robinson Sitepu, another PDI Perjuangan legislator, conceded
\nthat campaign teams of several individuals wanting to contest in
\nthe gubernatorial election had already launched "a political
\nguerrilla" to gather support for their candidates.<\/p>\n
"Even worse, several legislators conceded that they were
\npromised projects if their candidate wins the election," he said.<\/p>\n
He said he and many other legislators had received "good
\nservice" from several prospective gubernatorial candidates over
\nthe last three months. He declined to identify the prospective
\ncandidates from whom they had received good service.<\/p>\n
Of the 85 seats in the provincial legislative council, 30 were
\noccupied by PDI Perjuangan and 17 by Golkar, while the remaining
\n38 were divided among ten minor political parties, including the
\nIndonesian Military and National Police faction.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdi-p-backs-ex-generals-for-top-post-in-north-sumatra-1447893297",
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