E. Nusa Tenggara legislators elect Tallo as governor

Yemris Fointuna and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Kupang/Medan

Piet A. Tallo and Frans Lebu Raya were elected as the East Nusa Tenggara governor and deputy governor for the 2003-2008 period in the provincial capital of Kupang on Thursday.

Nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Tallo and Frans only just defeated Viktor B. Laiskodak and Simon Hayon of the coalition faction by 28 votes to 27.

Golkar nominees Esthon Foenay and Gaspar Parang Ehok had been already ejected from the contest in an earlier session as they only garnered 10 out of a total of 55 votes. Tallo and Frans took 26 votes while Viktor and Simon won 16 votes in this session. Three votes were considered invalid.

The election was chaired by the East Nusa Tenggara council speaker Daniel Woda Palle.

Hundreds of supporters from the three factions' candidates gathered at the council offices while waiting for the result.

A total of 38 councillors from Golkar and the PDI Perjuangan were put up in star-rated hotels from Monday "to make consolidation and communications easier". Eleven councillors from the coalition faction and six from the Indonesian Military/Police faction rejected the offer.

Golkar Party regional coordinator Marzuki Darusman suddenly left the plenary hall after seeing that the party's nominees had been defeated in the earlier session.

Head of the provincial Golkar Party Daniel Woda Palle called on the public to accept the result.

"We all must accept the election result and it's better to avoid any conflicts in society," he said.

The council will submit Tallo's and Frans' names to the Ministry of Home Affairs to be approved before they are inaugurated by the minister.

In Medan, the North Sumatra Police declared on Thursday deputy governor-elect Rudolf Mazuoka Pardede innocent on allegations that he had submitted fake high school diplomas in order to run for the second position in the province.

Chief of Detectives Sr. Comr. Satria Hari Prasetya said that the conclusion was made based on his team's investigation into a junior high school in Tanjungpinang, Riau, and a senior high school in Sukabumi, West Java.

Pardede was installed on Monday along with governor-elect T. Rizal Nurdin by Home Minister Hari Sabarno, despite the allegation, as the minister had pointedly stated that the investigation into Pardede must go on.

BPK Penabur Christian high school principal Martha Christiawati had sent a letter dated May 28 to the North Sumatra Council and the Ministry of Home Affairs, saying that Pardede had been enrolled at the school.

But Satria said that Martha was under pressure when writing the letter, but he declined to elaborate on the matter.

"The case against Rudolf Pardede is dismissed. He is innocent. The police are now focusing on an investigation into those who pressured Martha when she was drafting the letter," he said after meeting Pardede at his new office.

Satria rejected speculations that the meeting was to report the investigation's result, saying that it was "only to discuss golf".

Chairman of the council's Golkar Party faction Marzuki said that the police could not declare Pardede innocent.

"Only a court of law has the legal authority to declare Pardede innocent," he told The Jakarta Post by phone.

Marzuki also refuted Satria's statement that Martha wrote her letter under pressure.

"We have a witness from the Sukabumi education agency who saw Martha writing the letter. This would have been impossible, if she was writing under pressure," he said.