Governor vows to break tradition

SURABAYA: East Java Governor Imam Utomo reiterated on Tuesday that he would no longer attend gatherings held by mass organizations or political parties, as was the "tradition" during the New Order era.

"Nowadays a governor is not affiliated with mass organizations and is not necessarily a member of a certain political party.

"A gubernatorial position has no direct involvement with such groupings and therefore a governor should not be meddling in the affairs of these organizations. Such a gesture is outdated," Imam said.

The governor apparently was responding to public criticism that he failed to accept invitations to attend events held by political parties and mass organizations.

"The only time I had to show up, according to the rules of protocol, was when I accompanied Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to a PDI Perjuangan (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle) regional meeting in Madiun.

"You can check ... I have no double standards. I did not even attend meetings held by Nahdlatul Ulama and its task force and youth wing, Banser and GP Ansor," Imam said.

The governor said he would attend seminars and other discussions that were "enlightening and open to the public". (nur/edt)