Amin Syam sworn in as new governor of S. Sulawesi
Amin Syam sworn in as new governor of S. Sulawesi
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi
As in Southeast Sulawesi, the swearing-in of Amin Syam as new
governor of South Sulawesi has been in limbo amid the ongoing
police investigation into bribery allegations during the
gubernatorial election.
Home Minister Hari Sabarno swore in Amin as governor, with
Syachrul Yasin Limbo as deputy governor, to replace H.Z.B.
Palaguna for the 2003 to 2008 period.
An alliance of local nongovernmental organizations has
submitted a report on bribery involving former gubernatorial
candidates to the local police for further investigation.
Spokesman for the Coalition of Supervision on the
Gubernatorial Succession (KPSG) Abraham Samad said the NGOs were
waiting for an immediate police investigation into the case to
give legal certainty to all sides regarding the governor.
He said his team had collected evidence that former
gubernatorial candidates, including Amin, bribed their supporters
in the provincial legislature in their attempt to win the
election.
"Our findings on bribery allegations have already been handed
over to the police and publicized by the local mass media. It's
up to the police and the public to respond to the new governor
and the allegations," he said.
Hari said that, during the swearing-in ceremony, the
provincial legislature should take account of the recent
gubernatorial election as the central government no longer wished
to interfere in the internal affairs of regions now that the 1999
autonomy law had come into effect.
Amin, also chairman of the Golkar Party chapter in the
province, reportedly held a number of meetings with other
factions in Jakarta and Makassar to gather political support
before the gubernatorial election.
Student groups and NGOs have called on the police to follow up
KPSG's findings to investigate whether the gubernatorial election
was valid or not.
Corruption allegations are plaguing a number of Golkar
figures. Golkar chairman and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung has
been pressured to step down following the Jakarta High Court
decision that upheld the district court's three-year jail
sentence for his misappropriation of Rp 40 billion in Bulog
funds.
Ali Mase, recently sworn in as new governor of Southeast
Sulawesi, will likely face charges over his alleged involvement
in bribery during the gubernatorial election last December.
Both Akbar, Ali and other Golkar figures, including Gorontalo
governor Fadel Muhammad, also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Nurdin Halid, another Golkar figure who contended the
gubernatorial election, was not seen at the ceremony.
The installment of Amin, also chairman of the provincial
legislative council, went on peacefully and under tight security
provided by the local police and the local unit of the Mobile
Brigade.