'Regional autonomy is half-hearted'<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In the current era of regional autonomy, the President could
\nstill intervene in the gubernatorial election process as has
\nhappened in the past, councillors and observers said on Monday.<\/p>\n
The president's \"intervention\" was cited in the Jakarta
\ngubernatorial election regulations and governmental regulation
\n(PP) No. 151\/2000 on the procedure for gubernatorial elections.<\/p>\n
Both regulations stated that the governor candidates should be
\n\"discussed first\" with the President before the candidates were
\nadmitted to the election. During the New Order era, all governors
\nwere subject to president Soeharto's approval.<\/p>\n
Jakarta councillor Posman Siahaan of the Justice and Unity
\nParty said the council could not object to the intervention as it
\nwas contained in the PP, which itself was based on Law 9\/1999 on
\nRegional Autonomy.<\/p>\n
\"It's half-hearted autonomy. The government wants to give
\nauthority to the governor, but in the other hand, still retains
\npart of the authority,\" said Posman of council Commission A for
\nlegal and administrative affairs.<\/p>\n
He suggested the House of Representatives and government
\nrevise the Law and the PP to avoid presidential intervention in
\nthe gubernatorial election.<\/p>\n
The intervention debate has been triggered by the support of
\nchairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri for the reelection of Jakarta
\nGovernor Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
Megawati's support was controversial as it defied the
\naspirations of her party's Jakarta chapter, which nominated 11
\ncandidates for governor, and did not include Sutiyoso, a former
\nJakarta military commander.<\/p>\n
Councillor Abdul Azis Matnur from the Justice Party said the
\nPresident's intervention should only be based on the formal
\ndocumentation submitted by the candidates.<\/p>\n
\"The President cannot reject candidates based on political
\nconsiderations, except if they have failed to fulfill
\nadministrative requirements,\" said Azis, who is also a member of
\nCommission A, in charge of formulating the gubernatorial election
\nregulations.<\/p>\n
He said the word \"consultation\" at Article 19 of the
\nregulations simply meant notification of the President about the
\ngubernatorial election.<\/p>\n
Separately, chairman of Jakarta Government Watch Amir Hamzah
\nsaid the President was still able to reject certain candidates
\nalthough it had to be based on administrative considerations.<\/p>\n
\"The President might discover information about a certain
\ncandidate. She could use such information to reject the candidate
\nif the person had not included the data in the curriculum vitae
\nthat was required by the regulations,\" Amir said.<\/p>\n
However, political expert Andi A. Malarangeng said that the
\nlaw and regulation should not be interpreted as meaning that the
\nPresident could intervene in the gubernatorial process.<\/p>\n
\"Since the beginning of the reform era, there has not been a
\ncandidate rejected by the President,\" Andi, who, along with other
\nexperts, formulated Law No. 9\/1999, said on Monday.<\/p>\n
He said the legislative body simply notified the President
\nabout the candidates as a governor was still considered to be a
\nsubordinate of the central government.<\/p>\n
He said the President could only reject certain candidates if,
\nfor example, they had been found guilty of subversion.<\/p>\n
\"So, President Megawati could not reject certain governor
\ncandidates without good reason,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But, he said, Megawati, in her capacity as PDI Perjuangan
\nchairwoman, ironically nominated Sutiyoso, who was allegedly
\ninvolved in the bloody attack on the party's headquarters on July
\n27, 1996.<\/p>\n
At least five people were killed after the attack, which was
\nfollowed by mass rioting in areas around the headquarters on Jl.
\nDiponegoro, Central Jakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/regional-autonomy-is-half-hearted-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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