Alzier's win annuled, revote planned

Alzier's win annuled, revote planned

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung, Lampung

After almost one year of leadership standoff in Lampung, the
central government has finally issued a ministerial decree
annulling the gubernatorial election of Alzier Dianis Thabrani
and ordering a revote to elect a new governor for the province.

The decree issued by Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno
claims the election of Alzier, currently on trial for graft,
breached existing procedures and laws, but the Lampung
legislative council defended the Dec. 30, 2002 election as
democratic.

The revote should be held early in April, or August 2004 at
the latest, after next year's direct presidential election,
according to the decree.

On Thursday, Minister Hari swore in his aide, Tursandi Alwi,
as the acting governor of Lampung until after the council reholds
the gubernatorial election.

The installment of Tursandi was based on Presidential Decree
No. 262/M/2003 issued recently by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

Regents, mayors and other senior officials, as well as several
councillors in Lampung attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Tursandi, a native of West Lampung, who is also the research
and development head of Hari's office, was actually put in charge
of the governorship five months ago, before being sworn in as
acting governor.

Councillors' responses to the appointment are divided, while
the court is yet to hand down a verdict on Alzier's corruption
charges.

Council speaker Abbas Hadisunyoto opposed the installment of
Tursandi and the plan to rehold the elections. "Alzier was
elected through a democratic process," he argued.

Minister Hari should have respected the outcome of his meeting
with council leaders, in which it was agreed that the central
government would not recommend a revote or the appointment of an
acting governor, he continued.

However, chairman of the United Development Party (PPP)
faction in the council Malhani Manan backed Hari's move.

Support also came from Sahlan Safri, who chairs Megawati's
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction
in the council.

"Under the presidential decree, it's now clear that the
gubernatorial election will be reheld. The appointment of the
acting governor makes sense in order to secure the 2004 elections
in Lampung," Sahzan said.

Alzier defeated the then incumbent governor, Oemarsono, who
was supported by Megawati. She later dismissed Alzier from PDI
Perjuangan for refusing to back Oemarsono's reelection bid.

Alzier's victory ended with a corruption charge filed against
him. The governor-elect was also charged with using a fake
diploma in his election bid.

Political analysts have criticized Megawati for practicing
authoritarianism in chairing her party. Alzier's case was not the
first. Megawati had also dismissed PDI Perjuangan's councillors
in Jakarta, who opposed the reelection bid of Governor Sutiyoso,
a retired three-star Army general, earlier last year.

She did the same when her dissenting members in Central Java
nominated this year the chairman of the province's PDI
Perjuangan, Mardijo, to challenge Mardiyanto, a two-star Army
general, in the gubernatorial race.

Demonstrations, in support of Alzier's win, have been frequent
in the Lampung capital of Bandarlampung. But rallies were not
seen on Thursday to support or oppose the annulment of his
election.

Earlier on Sunday, Alzier's supporters threatened to occupy
the official residence of the governor and the council building
if the central government went ahead with its plan to annul the
outcome of the Dec. 30, 2002 election.

Local people carried out their daily activities as usual,
though police deployed hundreds of personnel in a number of
strategic places across the Southern Sumatran city.

Lampung Police chief Brig. Gen. M.D. Primanto said his office
had anticipated possible protests during Thursday's inauguration
of the acting governor.