Council decides to write names in gubernatorial election
Council decides to write names in gubernatorial election
Bambang Nurbianto and Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
The City Council decided through a vote on Friday that council
members would write out the names on the ballots in the Sept. 11
gubernatorial election.
The voting was conducted during a closed-door plenary session
of the City Council, drawing protests from reporters and
observers covering the session.
Secretary to the Justice Party faction at the City Council
Dani Anwar told reporters after the session that the Council
decided on a voting mechanism whereby members would write the
names of their chosen candidates on the ballot papers.
"There were 75 councillors attending the session. As many as
43 councillors voted for writing the names of candidates, 31
councillors voted for marking a cross on the ballot papers, while
one abstained," Dani told reporters.
Meanwhile, around three hundred demonstrators from Jakarta
Youth Reform Defenders (Pakar) staged a rally to reject the
mechanism saying it could be used by councillors to practice
money politics.
Chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Asas Tigor
Nainggolan said on Friday that the City Council's decision to
hold a closed-door session confirmed that the City Council had
ignored public concern over unfair practices in the election
process.
"By holding the closed plenary session they can no longer deny
the allegation that they were thinking only of their own
interests. It further strengthens the allegation that they indeed
practice money politics and horse trading," he told The Jakarta
Post.
City Council deputy chairman Muhammad Suwardi opened the
plenary session at 4 p.m. with 65 councillors in attendance.
Suwardi stated that the plenary session was open to the public.
But, there was an interjection from Justice Party councillor
Abdul Aziz Matnur, who reminded the City Council leaders that
they had made an agreement that the plenary session would be
closed to the public.
A number of councillors exchanged arguments in response to
Azis's comment, arguing over the pros and cons of opening the
session to the public.
A number of councillors suggested the faction leaders should
meet to discuss the issue.
Suwardi adjourned the meeting for ten minutes to give the
opportunity to the faction leaders to discuss the issue. But
after their meeting, they insisted that they would hold a closed-
door plenary session.
A source in the meeting said that the demand for holding the
closed plenary session came from the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the Golkar Party, the United
Development Party (PPP), and the Unity and Justice Party (PKP).
The factions are supporters of the pairing of gubernatorial
and vice gubernatorial candidates, incumbent Governor Sutiyoso
and City Secretary Fauzi Bowo.
Previously, Audi I.Z. Tambunan, a PDI Perjuangan legislator,
stressed that the faction's insistence on writing down the names
of chosen candidates on the ballot papers was part of efforts to
ensure that all of PDI Perjuangan councillors voted for Sutiyoso
as had been instructed by the party's central executive board.
Abdul Aziz Matnur said that the wish of several council
leaders to hold a closed-door session was sparked by the plan of
demonstrators to attend the plenary session.
"I told them if the session is open to the public, we have no
right to prohibit them (demonstrators) from attending the
session. Then a number of participants of the leadership meeting
demanded that the session be closed," according to Aziz.
Meanwhile, the PDI Perjuangan central board held a meeting on
Friday night with Sutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo at Borobudur Hotel in
Central Jakarta.
Sutiyoso and Fauzi said that they were officially invited by
the PDI Perjuangan central board to discuss various issues about
their candidacy.
"As the party which nominated us as their candidates, they
want to know our ideas. They may also want to tell us the
aspirations of their constituents," Fauzi told the Post minutes
before their meeting.