'Betawi' governor wanted

JAKARTA: The Jakarta Betawi ethnic group consultative body say they will only support a governor candidate of Betawi origin.

Chairman of the consultative body, Abdul Syukur, reiterated on Saturday that the next governor should be a Betawi.

The body has not officially named its candidate, but Syukur said there were several people which could be nominated. They included deputy governor Djaelani, city secretary Fauzi Bowo, labor exporter Mahfudz Djaelani, member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Perjuangan Dadang Hamdani, director of MH Thamrin Hospital Abdul Rodjak, Lt.Gen. (ret.) Sanip, and Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Siti Nurbaya, Antara reported.

When asked about their support for governor Sutiyoso, he said that Sutiyoso had once received an honorary title as a Betawi, but this should not mean that Sutiyoso was Betawi.

Sutiyoso, who was born in Semarang, Central Java, has been nominated by several organizations for the next five-year term. --JP