Governorship race heats up, Fauzi may come under fire
Governorship race heats up, Fauzi may come under fire
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With several months still remaining before the next governor
of Jakarta is elected in October, one possible candidate might
find himself out of the race.
Soehandoyo of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office indicated on
Thursday that City Secretary Fauzi Bowo, whose name has been
bandied about for the governorship, might be named a suspect in
the Ancol graft scandal.
Three people already have been named as suspects in the case:
Tarmidi Suhardjo and Tarmidi Edy Suwarno from the Indonesia
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), and Ali Imron
Hussein from the United Development Party (PPP).
Speaking in his office on Thursday, Soehandoyo said two more
suspects would be named in the Ancol scandal.
"(The suspects) are likely to be Fauzi Bowo and Herman
Prajogo," he said, without explaining who Herman Prajogo was or
his connection to the matter.
There is no city official or city councillor named Herman
Prajogo.
However, Soehandoyo went back on statement later in the day.
He told reporters at City Hall that he never said Fauzi would be
named a suspect in the scandal.
The Ancol scandal revolves around a controversial foreign trip
taken by several city officials and councillors in 2000 for a
comparative study of waterfront cities. The trip was financed by
the city budget, but those taking part in the study also accepted
money they should not have from city-owned PT Pembangunan Jaya
Ancol, which planned to develop the waterfront in Ancol.
And several officials and councillors who did not go on the
trip also received money.
Fauzi, a civilian bureaucrat, has received the backing of the
Betawi Collective Body in the gubernatorial election. Many
observers see him as a strong contender to replace Sutiyoso.
Other names being discussed for the governorship include State
Intelligence Agency chief Lt. Gen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono, the
former head of the Udayana Military Command, Maj. Gen. Adam
Damiri, and the current Jakarta Military Commander, Maj. Gen.
Bibit Waluyo.
Sutiyoso has stated he is willing to be nominated for a second
term despite fierce public criticism over his failure to manage
the recent flooding or to resolve the city's garbage problems.
Sutiyoso, a former Jakarta Military commander, is also
associated by some parties with the attack on the Jakarta
headquarters of the Indonesia Democratic Party on July 27, 1997.
Several civilians have been tried for the incident.
The Jakarta Police announced last week they would submit the
dossiers of several suspects in the case to the Jakarta
Prosecutor's Office. They did not name the suspects.