Baramuli, Fahmi get MPR tickets

Baramuli, Fahmi get MPR tickets

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Arnold A. Baramuli proved
once again that he is a survivor.

After President B.J. Habibie rebuffed calls on Friday to
suspend aides, including Baramuli, over the Bank Bali scandal,
the 69-year-old Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) chairman was
elected on Saturday by the South Sulawesi provincial legislature
to represent it in the nation's highest institution -- the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Baramuli was among the two state officials elected in two
separate provinces to be regional representatives in the
Assembly.

The other was Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris, 56, who was
elected to represent South Kalimantan.

Each province is allotted seats for five regional
representatives to the 700-member Assembly, which in November
will elect a new president and endorse the State Policy
Guidelines.

The South Sulawesi provincial legislature gave 48 votes to
Baramuli to represent the province. The other representatives are
Jusuf Kalla who won 52 votes, Ishak Iskandar 45 votes, Andi Jaya
Sose 44 and Aksa Mahmud 43.

Meanwhile from Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, the council
there pushed Fahmi in as an Assembly member with the fourth
highest votes. Fahmi won 21 votes.

The other four representatives for the province will be
Syamsiwal Qamar with 36 votes, Urif Suhar Yanto 34 votes,
Sulaiman H.B. 29, and Amidhan 14.

Prior to the election, students of Banjarmasin's Lambung
Mangkurat University staged a noisy rally urging the 52-member
council to be more discriminating in its choice of regional
representatives.

After several hours the protest dwindled out peacefully
without incident.

According to Law No. 4/1999 on the Composition of the
People's Consultative Assembly and House of Representatives, both
Baramuli and Fahmi must resign from their government posts before
resuming an Assembly role.

The spokesman for the Golkar faction in South Sulawesi, Agus
Arifin Nu'mang, said the party had received a letter from
Baramuli stating his readiness to resign his state post should he
be elected to the Assembly.

Baramuli has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for
his alleged role in the Bank Bali scandal.

Baramuli and Fahmi will join Coordinating Minister for
Economy, Finance and Industry Ginanjar Kartasasmita who on
Thursday was elected to represent West Java in the
Assembly. (05/30)