Edy Waluyo to resign from council for election

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council chairman, Edy Waluyo, will likely run in the next gubernatorial elections following his retirement scheduled for June.

At the same time, council also has received seven names of candidates for governor and the deputies.

One City Hall source revealed on Tuesday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters would replace Edy -- a councillor of the Indonesian Military (TNI)/Police faction -- with Brig. Gen. Lintang Waluyo, who is currently the Jakarta Military Command chief of staff.

"A general at TNI headquarters told one of the governor's deputies about the plan to replace Edy with Lintang," the source said.

The replacement, according to the source, was to allow Edy, as a retired army major general, to join the election which will take place in October.

The 57-year-old Edy will likely have to run against the incumbent Governor Sutiyoso, also a retired lieutenant general.

Sutiyoso, who has been criticized for his administration's poor performance in handling the flooding problems in early February, had announced earlier that he would seek re-election for another term.

Since the New Order regime, Jakarta has always had governor with a military background.

However, Edy denied that he was planning to retire, saying that his duties at the council have been extended to June 2003, from June 2000.

"A major-general is entitled to three extensions of three-year periods of service before he finally retires," he said, declining to say whether he would run for governor.

Edy and Sutiyoso are not the only military figures running in the election. State Intelligence Body (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono has also been tipped as another strong candidate.

The only strong civilian candidate is City Secretary Fauzi Bowo, who gained full support from the Betawi Collective Body (Bamus).

Besides the big names, the council secretariat has also received seven names to run for candidacy in the election.

The Unity Party, which only has one seat at the council, has officially proposed businessman Mahfud Djailani, who owns Maktour travel agency, and accountant Dolly Depari Siregar as governor and deputy governor, respectively.

The council has also received nominations of M. Sanip, a retired lieutenant general; Abdul Rajak, a director of Husni Thamrin hospital; businessman Benyamin Saleh, and businessman P. Sudono Waluyanto as governor candidates.

It also received the name of Zainuddin Abdul Azis, a member of the People's Consultative Assembly, as a deputy governor candidate.

Most of the candidates have nominated themselves in their personal letters.