Governor Rizal, predecessor among the dead

Governor Rizal, predecessor among the dead

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta/Medan

Hours before the corpse of North Sumatra Governor Teuku Rizal
Nurdin was identified on Monday afternoon, his family abandoned
hope that he was among the survivors of the Mandala Boeing-737
crash in Medan.

His brother, Serdang Pagai Regent Teuku Erry Nuradi was highly
emotional as he arrived at the crash site just 10 minutes after
the accident, aware his sibling was on the plane.

At the governor's residence, gubernatorial staff, along with
Rizal's relatives and neighbors gathered to mourn and pray.

North Sumatra provincial spokesman Eddy Sofyan said many staff
had made checks of the hospitals in Medan where crash victims had
been delivered but there had been no trace of Rizal among the
survivors.

Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told a news conference in
Medan the number of passengers and crew killed totalled 102,
although he gave no breakdown. The death toll on the ground was
47, he added.

Acting North Sumatra governor Rudolf Pardede earlier said in a
statement 104 people on board had died.

The death toll could rise especially from those killed on the
ground in the densely populated suburb in the city where the
commercial aircraft crashed seconds after take-off.

After hours of searching, Rizal's body was identified by his
family at about 3 p.m. at the Adam Malik Hospital.

The family plans to bury Rizal on Tuesday in the grounds of
the oldest mosque in Medan, Al-Ma'soem, in a military funeral.
The governor was a retired military officer.

Rizal was heading to Jakarta accompanied by his adjutant
Irawadi -- also among the dead -- to attend a meeting with
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other provincial leaders,
before the group flew to Lampung for a coordination meeting on
Wednesday.

According to a relative, Rizal had initially planned to fly
with Garuda on the night before but the flight was fully booked.

The accident also took the life of former North Sumatra
governor Raja Inal Siregar, who is a current member of the
Regional Representatives Council (DPD) representing the province.

Another DPD councillor representing North Sumatra Abdul Halim
Harahap and his wife were also killed in the crash.

Many residents in Medan mourned the deaths of the crash
victims by hoisting national flags at half mast in front of their
houses.

They said that both the governor and his predecessor were good
leaders who were close to the people.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla was among those who expressed his
condolences to the families of Rizal and Raja.

In Jakarta, Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf appointed North
Sumatra deputy governor Rudolf Pardede as acting governor on
Monday afternoon.

"No matter what happens, there can't be any vacuum in the
administration," he said after a hearing at the House of
Representatives.

Ma'ruf said that the planned gubernatorial meeting would
likely go ahead as there had been no change in the schedule.

The meeting would feature economic ministers who are expected
to present policies about infrastructure development in Sumatra
and others on foreign loans. There would also be an informal
meeting with governors and foreign ambassadors.

Riau Governor M. Rusli Zainal said Rizal was a good person and
a good friend.

"It came as a shock to me, as three days earlier we had met to
discuss development in Sumatra. This is such a big loss for me
because we were long-time friends," he said.