Factions want immediate election of new chairman
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Council factions said on Friday the council should elect a new chairman soon, following the decision by outgoing Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo to replace military faction member and council chairman Maj. Gen. Edy Waluyo with Col. Dody Sudarno.
"The council should soon hold a plenary session to elect a new chairman, since Dody has just replaced Edy as a member of the Indonesian Military/police faction," United Development Party faction chairman Chudlary Syafei Hadzami said.
The timing of Edy's replacement appears a bit odd, as the official order was signed by Bibit on Wednesday, the day before he handed over his post as Jakarta Military commander to Maj. Gen. Ahmad Yahya. Bibit was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed commander of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad).
Chudlary, who is also the a deputy chairman of the council, hoped a new council chairman could be elected before the gubernatorial election scheduled for Sept. 17.
He said a new chairman was necessary because the council was still deliberating several proposed bills and taking care of other important matters.
"There should not be a vacancy in the position because we are still dealing with important work," Chudlary said.
The chairman of the Crescent and Star Party faction, Syarifien Maloko, agreed with Chudlary.
"We hope the council secretary will soon inform us about the appointment letter and process it," Syarifien, who is also the deputy chairman of the council's Commission A for legal and administrative affairs, said.
According to procedures, the appointment letter must first be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the city administration.
The council can elect a new chairman after the ministry approves the replacement of Edy, who had earlier registered as a candidate for governor.
According to instructions from the chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI), a member of the TNI should retire if he or she is registered as a gubernatorial candidate. Edy will reach retirement age next year.
Observers generally agree that the candidacy of Edy, who was seen as a strong rival to incumbent Governor Sutiyoso, has been weakened by the loss of his post as council chairman.
Sutiyoso, who is seeking a second five-year term as governor, reportedly made moves to block Edy's candidacy from the time he announced his intentions through a letter seeking the approval of the Jakarta Military commander.
Dody was the chief of the City Social and Political Affairs Office two years ago, before the office was changed into the City National Unity Office and he was replaced by a civilian, Effendy Anas.