Fired Golkar councillor elected NTB governor

Fired Golkar councillor elected NTB governor

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Mataram,
West Nusa Tenggara

In an unexpected move, chief councillor Lalu Serinate was elected
the new governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) here on Monday,
beating incumbent governor Harun Al Rasyid, whose running mate
was his secretary Nanang Samodra.

Serinate garnered 28 of the 55 votes against only 14 taken by
Harun in the election in the NTB legislative council, which he
currently chairs, in the provincial capital of Mataram.

Another candidate, Mesir Suryadi, who leads the provincial
chapter of the Golkar Party, got one less vote than the defeated
incumbent governor.

Harun once announced a bid to contest the Jakarta governorship
in 2002, but eventually canceled his plan for unclear reasons.

Serinate had been fired as a senior executive of Golkar for
seeking the post of governor on a United Development Party (PPP)
ticket. But he had yet to receive an official notification of his
dismissal as of Monday.

Seven other Golkar councillors who supported Serinate also
face dismissal from their party, the political vehicle of former
president Soeharto during his 32-year rule until 1998.

Golkar backed the pairing of Mesir and Ismaildin Wahab in the
election, which was guarded by around 700 police personnel.

The victory of Serinate, paired with the secretary of the
Sumbawa regency administration, Thamrin Rayes, was warmly hailed
by his supporters.

Hundreds of these staged a motorcycle convey across Mataram to
cerebrate.

Former rector of the Mataram-based Muhammadiyah University
Agusfian Wahab said the election of Serinate for the 2003-2008
term should be supported by local people.

"The win of Serinate and Rayes is a victory for the people's
conscience", he was quoted by Antara as saying in Mataram.

He said the "conscience-based approach" adopted by Serinate
had proven effective in countering the many academic analyses by
various scholars who had predicted that the pairing of Harun and
Nanang would win the election.

Agusfian claimed that Serinate won the gubernatorial election
democratically and fairly as he had not used bribery to elicit
support.

"The governor-elect relied on silahturrahmi (brotherhood) and
the establishment of close relations with the NTB's people. So,
he managed to void money politics," he said.

He hoped that Serinate would be able to overcome the problems
confronting the province during his five-year term in office.

Support also came from local community leader and legal expert
Said Ruhpina, who urged the people of NTB to give their backing
to the election of Serinate.

"The victory of the Serinate-Thamrin team is the result of the
local people's prayers. Therefore, we should accept it happily,"
he said.

He said the winning pair were the best candidates, and
deserved their victory.

Ruhpina warned of political maneuvers by supporters of the
defeated candidates to foil the gubernatorial election outcome.

He advised the governor-elect to hold a thanksgiving ceremony
to celebrate the unexpected victory by involving all elements of
the local community.

The election's results still have to be presented to President
Megawati Soekarnoputri through Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno for endorsement. Presidential approval will allow
Serinate to be sworn in.

Ruhpina said the election of Serinate had a "special meaning"
for the people of Sumbawa island, the governor-elect's place of
origin, as they had been waiting for their island to produce the
top NTB leader for almost 40 years.

Community leaders from Sumbawa shared Agusfian's opinion that
Serinate's win was not because of a "materialistic approach"
but rather the "strong emotional relationships" he established
with local people.