City Council announces seven pairs of candidates

City Council announces seven pairs of candidates

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council's election committee shortlisted last Friday
seven pairs of gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial candidates
scheduled to take part in the final round of the election on
Sept. 11.

Chairman of the Election Committee Muhammad Suwardi said the
seven pairs of gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial candidates,
including Sutiyoso and his deputy candidate Fauzi Bowo, were
decided upon at the City Council meeting attended by council and
faction leaders.

"The seven pairs of candidates will be officiated at the
council's plenary session on Monday and then reported to the
President via the home minister," Suwardi told the press after
the meeting.

Incumbent Governor Sutiyoso appears the strongest candidate so
far, being nominated by two major factions: the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Golkar faction,
and a smaller party, the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) faction.

Two other potential candidates are Chairman of the Jakarta
Chapter of PDI Perjuangan Tarmidi Suhardjo, who has been
nominated by the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction and Edy
Waluyo, nominated by the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Crescent and Star Party (PBB) faction.

Tarmidi has been paired with PAN Secretary General Abdillah
Toha, while Edy is paired with PPP member Ahmad Suaidy.

Sutiyoso received full support from eight councillors from the
Golkar faction, and some 25 councillors from PDI Perjuangan
faction. Tarmidi was supported by at least 17 councillors from
PAN and PK factions, and five councillors from PDI Perjuangan.

PPP faction, which has 12 seats, and the Indonesian Military/
National Police faction, which has nine seats, will be decisive.
If a candidate wins their support, they will be able to secure
the majority votes of the City Council and be elected Jakarta
governor for the 2002 to 2007 term.

The four other pairs are Marzuki Usman and Halim Ashari
nominated by the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, Ahmad
Heriyawan and Igo Ilham by the Justice Party (PK) faction,
Mahfudz Djaelani and Dolly D. Siregar by the Unity Party (PP)
faction, Endang Darmawan and Dadang Hamdani by the Indonesian
Unity in Diversity Party (PBI) faction.

Sutiyoso's position has not been secured yet though, following
the withdrawal of PPP's support because of Sutiyoso's decision to
pair up with Fauzi and not City Council deputy chairman from PPP
Chudlary Syafi'i. As a result, he might be unable to win the
support of more than 50 percent of the total 85 councillors, as
stipulated in the election's rules and regulations.

A minor incident occurred in the office of Golkar faction when
10 members of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) insulted two
councillors from Golkar -- Tadjus Sobirin and Mulyono
Prawirodiredjo -- because they were disappointed the party did
not nominate Tutty Alawiyah, a native Betawi person.

An FBR member insulted Tadjus and Mulyono by trying to place
Rp 11,000 into their pockets, accusing them of practicing money
politics by nominating Sutiyoso.

Thousands of demonstrators, mostly women have staged rallies
in front of the City Council building on Jl. Kebon Sirih recently
to express their support for Tutty Alawiyah, a Golkar member and
former minister for the empowerment of women.