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.