Council elects five members for MPR

JAKARTA (JP): City Council elected five city representatives for the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), with a Golkar Party candidate securing the most votes in the council's plenary session on Monday.

A supervisory board member of Golkar's city chapter, Sjah Manaf, ranked first with 17 votes, followed by an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) candidate Hobbes Sinaga with 15 votes and another PDI Perjuangan candidate Maj. Gen. (ret) Sucipno, also with 15 votes.

National Mandate Party (PAN) candidate Zaenuddin Abdul Aziz came fourth with 14 votes along with United Development Party (PPP) candidate Achmad Suaidy, who also garnered 14 votes.

The five elected representatives were among 38 candidates who were nominated by the council's 11 factions.

Manaf, a relative of the council's secretary Fauzi Bowo, was nominated by three factions -- Golkar, PDI Perjuangan and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

The 68-year-old Manaf has reportedly secured support from all Golkar's eight councilors and all nine councilors of the military/police faction. Meanwhile, PDI Perjuangan's 30 votes were equally distributed to its two candidates Hobbes and Sucipno.

Both Zaenuddin of PAN and Suaidy of PPP got 13 of the overall 14 votes from all of their respective party faction members, while the remaining one vote each was from other party factions.

PDI Perjuangan faction chairman Audy I.Z. Tambunan said he was confident that Manaf's victory would not jeopardize his party's greater interest in the upcoming General Session of MPR.

"We have a deal (with Golkar and the military). Manaf is a mature individual who will think for the sake of the nation," Audi said after the plenary session.

A group of people who claimed to be representatives of the people of Jakarta visited the council on Monday, proposing PAN's secretary-general Faisal Basri as a city representative.

But Council Speaker Edy Waluyo rejected the group's proposal, saying that names of the candidates were proposed by the 11 factions, not by individuals or groups.

The group's coordinator, Amir Hamzah, regretted the council's decision and insisted that the public has the right to nominate candidates for the city representatives for MPR, as guaranteed in the council's internal regulations.

"We'll ask the General Elections Commission (KPU) to reject the city council's representatives," Amir said. (jun)