Yogyakartans welcome sultan as their new governor<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Thousands of Yogyakartans applauded outside
\nthe provincial legislative council building after Minister of
\nHome Affairs Syarwan Hamid swore in traditional monarch Sri
\nSultan Hamengku Buwono X as their new governor on Saturday.<\/p>\n
In contrast to the sultan, whose car was thronged by the
\ncheerful supporters along the famed Jl. Malioboro, the minister's
\nvehicle sped away from crowds waiting for him with posters
\ncriticizing his apparent reluctance to make their sultan
\ngovernor.<\/p>\n
Syarwan praised the sultan in his ceremony speech. \"Sri Sultan
\nhas often shown his high capability in communicating with the
\npeople and is very responsive to their aspirations,\" adding this
\nprovided the sultan's legitimacy for leadership.<\/p>\n
Outside, banners read: \"Syarwan Hamid, you must surrender to
\nthe people, you are a coward.\"<\/p>\n
Allegations that the government was reluctant to have the
\nsultan as governor was evident in debates on why the government
\nreferred to the 1974 law on regional administration which
\nrequires three candidates for any governorship.<\/p>\n
In August the only other candidate -- Yogyakarta United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) chapter chairman Alfian Darmawan --
\nresigned after hostile reaction to his candidacy. He had been
\nnominated by his party's faction in the council.<\/p>\n
Observers had said the government should have used the 1950
\nlaw regarding Yogyakarta's special status. The law states the
\nprovince, as a traditional monarchy, is led by the King as
\ngovernor for life.<\/p>\n
Under the 1974 law Sri Sultan will serve a maximum of two
\nfive-year terms, which he said he had no objection to. \"If I
\nwanted to serve for life it would mean I am antidemocracy, while
\non May 20 I pledged support to the reform movement,\" he said. Sri
\nSultan came to national notice when he led hundreds of thousands
\nof people through Yogyakarta's streets in a peaceful march a day
\nbefore Soeharto resigned.<\/p>\n
The Yogyakarta provincial legislative council in August
\nunanimously elected Sri Sultan as the only candidate for governor
\nto replace then acting governor Paku Alam VIII who died in the
\nsame month. Paku Alam replaced Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX
\nafter the former vice president died in 1988.<\/p>\n
The candidacy of the sultan received widespread support,
\nincluding from university professors here.<\/p>\n
The support was indicated by traders bringing in all sorts of
\nfruit, food and spices to the sultan's palace in the 24 hours
\nbefore the swearing-in ceremony.<\/p>\n
The packed ceremony was attended by about 1,000 invitees,
\nincluding Minister\/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung, State Minister
\nof National Development Planning Boediono and Diponegoro Military
\nCommander Maj. Gen. Tyasno Sudharto.<\/p>\n
In defiance of the government, around 100,000 locals gathered
\nin August to unofficially install the sultan as governor in their
\nown way. A 68-year-old pedicab driver, Tukiran Sukiyat, demanded
\nrecognition of Sri Sultan as the governor and the maintenance of
\nthe special regional status accorded to Yogyakarta for decades.<\/p>\n
Sri Sultan, called Ngerso Dalem by many people, has said he
\nplans to form a crisis center to handle ways to solve the crisis,
\nparticularly through labor intensive projects.<\/p>\n
Unlike other traditional monarchs, he has only one wife,
\nG.K.R. Hemas. When meeting people presenting foodstuffs at the
\npalace, she said: \"I hope that Ngerso Dalem will be able to
\nreduce people's suffering.\" (23\/44\/prb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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