Council okays three governor nominees

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council officially submitted three names for the Jakarta governorship to the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday.

Council speaker Edy Waluyo said the three nominated candidates -- incumbent Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso, legislator Achmadi and deputy governor of economic and development affairs Tb. M. Rais -- would be screened by the ministry before their names were given to President Soeharto, who will choose the governor.

"The council selects them based on the required procedures and we believe the Ministry of Home Affairs will not find any problems with them," Edy told a press conference yesterday.

"All four council factions have agreed to nominate them after consulting their parties' city branch offices," Edy said.

He said that the council had also consulted the Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung on the nomination of Sutiyoso. "He (Sutiyoso) has received Faisal's blessing."

He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs was expected to complete the screening process in the second week of September.

"We hope a decree on the appointment of the new governor will be issued in the third week of September," Edy said.

According to the schedule, he said, the new governor would be installed on Oct. 6.

The chairman of the United Development Party faction, Achmad Suaidy, was confident that Sutiyoso would be appointed Jakarta's next governor. "I'm 100 percent certain," he said.

Sutiyoso said yesterday that he was ready to be appointed governor if he was assigned by the ABRI Commander.

"But, we should abide by all the procedures of the governor's selection. The process is not yet completed. Let's wait and see," he said.

However, he was sure that the ABRI Commander would allow him to become the new governor if he was chosen.

Outgoing Governor Surjadi Soedirdja, whose term of office ends on Oct. 6, filed his letter of resignation to the President through the Ministry of Home Affairs in March. (ste/jun)