Bali governor backs away from Buleleng regent election row
Bali governor backs away from Buleleng regent election row
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
The Balinese administration has yet to declare its official
stance on the outcome of the election for Buleleng regent, which
saw the dominant Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) faction defeated.
"We are still waiting for an official report from the regency
election committee team, before the Balinese administration can
take an official stance.
"We have received a written objection to this matter, from the
chief of PDI Perjuangan's Bali chapter, Ida Bagus Wesnawa, but we
cannot take an official stance yet," Governor Dewa Beratha said
on Friday.
"Due to regional autonomy, the entire responsibility for this
matter lies with the regency level. Therefore I have no authority
to intervene. If this matter is reported to the home ministry, it
will be thrown back at me. I leave this matter to the regency
level."
Beratha was commenting on the defeat of PDI Perjuangan's
Sudharmaja Duniaji and Nyoman Sudiana for the regent and deputy
regent posts in the coastal regency of Buleleng, for the 2002-
2007 period.
Sudharmaja, who is speaker of the legislative council,
objected to the results of the voting, which saw Putu Bagiada and
Gede Wardana of Golkar and National Awakening Party respectively
named the winners.
Tension rose following the PDI Perjuangan's defeat in the
election on Monday.
Dewa warned that Monday's problems, which arose in the course
of the elections of the regents and deputy regents for both
Jembrana and Buleleng, must not be repeated again, particularly
in the elections of the Gianyar regent and Bali governor,
scheduled for August next year.
He said that in a democracy, the winners should reflect the
voice of the majority but in the case of the elections for
Buleleng and Jembrana regent posts, the voice of the majority had
lost.
Meantime, a cafe was vandalized on Wednesday on Jl. Gelatik
Gingsir Sukasada in Buleleng.
However, local police insisted that the Sangket Cafe incident
was a separate criminal act which had nothing to do with the
regency elections. The police added that the cafe was reportedly
vandalized by disgruntled employees who were unhappy with the
cafe's management.
On Tuesday, Sudharmaja and 26 other PDI Perjuangan councillors
declared the election for Buleleng regent and deputy regent
results void, but the council's electoral committee ignored
Sudharmaja's declaration and continued with the electoral
process.
"The results are valid. Our obligation was to conduct an
election, and I personally believe that we have fulfilled that
obligation in accordance with all regulations and laws. If the
council, or a part of the council, questions its validity and
refuses to accept it, it is not my problem and neither is it the
problem of this committee," the electoral committee's chairman I
Nyoman Gede Astawa said.
The electoral committee sealed the voting papers, put them
inside a locked white wooden box, which was then kept at the
local police station before being sent on Wednesday to the Bali
governor's office in Denpasar.
It was a tragic and humiliating defeat for Sudharmaja since
his candidacy was openly supported by PDI Perjuangan.
Three members of the party's central executive committee,
Mangara Siahaan, Gunawan Wirosaroyo and Gusti Ngurah Sara,
attended the election in an apparent show of support for
Sudharmaja. Moreover, PDI Perjuangan holds a 31-seat majority in
the Buleleng council. A local analyst said the result of the
voting reflected the deep rift that currently exists within the
local PDI Perjuangan structure.
The election was held under very tight security that involved
at least 2,500 security officers, including some 300 officers
from the Denpasar-based police elite Mobile Brigade.
Two rows of police personnel guarded the council building,
roads were closed, barricades set up and two armored tactical
vehicles were seen nearby. Hundreds of pecalang (traditional
guards) were also deployed all over Singaraja.