Council tries to make election look democratic

Council tries to make election look democratic

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council officially announced on Thursday that it
would extend an opportunity for the public to nominate candidates
for the gubernatorial election, but analysts viewed the offer as
a pointless exercise intended only to convince the public that
the election was democratic.

"People can nominate themselves or other people as long as
they meet the requirements," the election committee chairman Edy
Waluyo, who is also the council's deputy chairman, told
reporters.

Edy said a candidate, according to the requirements, should be
at least a senior high school graduate, declare his of her assets
and secure a permit from his superior if he or she is a civil
servant or military/police officer.

He said that individuals or mass organizations were invited to
register themselves or their candidates between June 10 and June
21.

The candidates would first be selected by the council's 11
factions between July 16 and Aug. 5 before the city's 83
councillors elected a new governor and deputy governor on Sept.
17.

Before the election, the candidates were also required to
deliver a vision and mission statement about Jakarta before the
council's plenary meeting between Aug. 6 and Aug. 14.

If there were no objections from the public, the newly elected
governor and deputy governor would be sworn in on Oct. 7.

Objections from the public, especially over possible money
politics and bribery, should be submitted to the electoral
committee within three days of the election at the latest.

It will be difficult for such complaints to succeed, however,
as they have to be confirmed by written statements from more than
one councillor.

Separately, head of the urban division of the Jakarta Legal
Aid Institute (LBH) Tubagus H. Karbyanto viewed the council's
announcement as being pointless.

"It's just paying lip service ... To make it look like a
democratic and transparent election," Tubagus said.

He doubted that the candidates nominated by the public would
be elected by the councillors as they had their own candidates.

Azas Tigor Nainggolan, the chairman of the Jakarta Residents
Forum, concurred with Tubagus, saying that the City Council had
never been serious about involving the public.

However, he said the LBH and several non-governmental
organizations would nominate candidates for the office of city
governor, including women's activist and lawyer Nursjahbani
Katjasungkana and urban planning expert and architect Marco
Kusumawijaya.

"It's just a new departure even though the councillors won't
elect them. We will discuss it next week," Tubagus said.

So far, the council has received nine nominations from
individuals and mass organizations.

Among the organizations, the Indonesian Disabled Veterans
Corps nominated the incumbent city governor, Sutiyoso, to be
reelected for a second five-year term.

Sutiyoso, who has expressed his readiness to be reelected,
will also reportedly be nominated by the Unity and Justice Party
(PKP).

He has also individually been supported by councillors from
the largest faction on the council, the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the United Development Party
and the Indonesian Military (TNI)/Police faction.

Other strong candidates are the current Deputy Governor for
Social Welfare Affairs Djailani and City Secretary Fauzi Bowo,
who is reportedly supported by councillors from the National
Mandate Party (PAN) and some smaller factions. But it is still
unclear which factions will officially nominate them.

The PDI Perjuangan, which has 30 seats on the council, is
divided over the election as it has reportedly nominated both
its central board deputy chairman Roy BB Janis and city chapter
chairman and the council deputy chairman Tarmidi Suhardjo.