Councillors call for governor's suspension

Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda

The majority of factions in the East Kalimantan provincial council called on Monday for the suspension of Governor Suwarna AF for alleged graft.

The council will file a motion requesting the suspension with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a councillor said after a plenary session here on Monday. The factions will also propose the President install Yurnalis Ngayoh, the current deputy governor, as a caretaker to replace Suwarna.

The announcement came after a plenary council session that discussed the alleged involvement of Governor Suwarna in a graft case. Four factions -- the National Awakening Party, Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and the National Mandate Party -- support the suspension, while the Prosperous Justice Party and the United Development Party factions oppose the move.

"The motion will be sent to the central government soon," said Soehartono Soetjipto, the speaker of the provincial council.

Governor Suwarna was questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) at the end of October over an alleged corruption case. The case centers on the governor's decision to exempt a large plantation company from paying regreening fees to the government.

It was later found the company had failed to regreen several of its designated operational areas. The KPK is investigating whether graft was involved in the governor's decision to exempt the company from having to pay the regreening fees.

The pressure on Suwarna has increased since his questioning by the commission, with protesters demanding his suspension while the case is investigated. The protesters, who have held regular rallies outside the governor's residence and the provincial council building since October, have demanded the council take action to force the governor's suspension.

An assistant to Suwarna, Sjahruddin, said the motion from the council calling for the governor's suspension was illegal. The councillors should have exercised their right to question the governor first, said Sjahruddin, an assistant for governance affairs.

Hundreds of protesters, both supporting and opposing the governor, held dueling rallies outside the provincial council building on Monday. There was no violence during the rallies, which were watched over by about 600 police officers.