Government says mayor still in charge

Government says mayor still in charge

Ainur R. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The central government still recognizes Surabaya Mayor Bambang
D.H., who was dismissed from office last month by the city
council, as the legal head of the city's administration.

In a recent memo to East Java Governor Imam Utomo, Minister of
Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said Bambang still had the authority to
run the Surabaya administration, pending a thorough investigation
of his controversial dismissal.

The memo, dated Aug. 16, ordered Governor Imam to promote
reconciliation or to oversee the establishment of an independent
investigative commission to resolve the matter.

"This memo makes clear that Bambang D.H. is still the mayor of
Surabaya and still has the legitimacy to carry out his duties,
tasks and responsibilities as before," Agus Syamsudin, the head
of East Java's Office of Autonomy and Governance, said on
Tuesday.

The memo from the home affairs minister was in reply to one
sent to him by the East Java governor on July 11, after the
Surabaya City Council had dismissed Bambang.

The city council voted on July 11 to remove Bambang from
office after only one month. The council was reacting to the
mayor's 2001 budget accountability speech.

Councillors accused the mayor, who is from the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), of being arrogant
and of lacking the support of the bureaucracy he is supposed to
lead.

The council had asked the home affairs minister to approve
their dismissal of the mayor.

But Bambang claimed the city council had not met the required
conditions for rejecting his accountability speech, noting that
the PDI Perjuangan faction in the council had accepted the
speech.

He had vowed to challenge his dismissal in court if the
central government endorsed the council's motion to dismiss him.

Bambang is being held accountable for the 2001 budget even
though it was formulated under his predecessor Sunarto
Sumoprawiro, for whom Bambang was a deputy.

Sunarto was removed as mayor by the same council in a
controversial decision earlier this year.

The speaker of the city council, M. Basuki, warned Bambang
against making any strategic decisions, including replacing or
appointing officials and issuing bylaws, while his dismissal is
being reviewed.

The home minister has recommended the two sides reconcile
their differences and resolve this dispute.

But failing this, the minister said, an independent
investigative commission should be formed to examine whether the
council's dismissal of Bambang was acceptable or legally flawed.

Agus said reconciliation had proven impossible, so the East
Java governor will establish a seven-member inquiry commission.
The commission will comprise three academics from Airlangga
University, two from Jember State University and two from
Brawijaya University.

The governor is scheduled to meet with the home minister in
Jakarta on Wednesday, to discuss the issue before officially
inaugurating the independent commission.