Councillors call for governor's suspension

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.