Govt defiantly installs Sjahroeddin

Govt defiantly installs Sjahroeddin

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung

Defying the court order, the government pressed ahead with the
Lampung gubernatorial revote, which resulted in the victory of
Sjahroeddin Z.P. and Syamsuria Ryacudu on Monday.

The winning pair, strongly supported by the faction of
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P), beat the duo of Oemarsono and Ibrahim B.S, who
were supported by the Indonesian military and police faction.

The revote, held under tight security following overnight
blast, followed the dismissal of the governor-elect Alzier Dianis
Thabrani, which recently was declared illegitimate by the Jakarta
Administrative Court.

Alzier was a leader of PDI-P local chapter before he was
dismissed for breaching the party's order to support for the
reelection of Oemarsono almost two years ago. The governor-elect
has been named a suspect in a graft case and university diploma
forgery.

The move to elect Sjahroeddin was aimed at boosting Megawati's
chance of winning the upcoming presidential election, according
to chairman of the PKB's Lampung chapter Safrin Romas.

Out of the 75 councillors of the Lampung Council, 49
councillors voted for pair Sjahroeddin-Syamsuria and 17 others,
for Oemarsono-Ibrahim B.S.

Councillor Zainuddin Sembiring from the National Mandate Party
(PAN) faction walked out of the revote proceeding, while eight
councillors -- six from the National Awakening Party (PKB)
faction, one from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and another,
from the United Development Party (PPP) faction -- were absent.

The eight councillors reportedly refrained from voting due to
their suspicion that the PDI-P had "manipulated and engineered
the gubernatorial revote".

Sjahroeddin, a retired police general, once served as
operational affairs assistant to the National Police chief. He is
the son of former Lampung governor Zainuddin Pagar Alam.

Rumors of money politics and Jakarta intervention were rife
after pair Sjahroeddin-Syamsuria won the election, although
Syamsuria was dismissed last Friday from the Golkar Party.

Syamsuria, the deputy chairman of Golkar's Lampung chapter and
younger brother of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu,
was dismissed after accepting Sjahroeddin's offer to pair with
him for the gubernatorial revote.

The election proceeding held at the Lampung Council went
smoothly, although it was marred by rallies both for and against
the revote.

Thousands of Alzier's supporters protested outside the
council, while thousands of others, who endorsed the election,
demonstrated in a nearby field.

A bomb exploded on Sunday night in a park in the compound of
the Lampung Council just some 10 hours before the revote. No
fatalities were reported.

The incident, however, prompted security personnel to install
metal detectors at the doors of the council building, through
which only those who had invitations were permitted to enter.

Lampung Police chief Brig. Gen. M.D. Primanto said that he had
deployed some 700 personnel to safeguard the election.

The gubernatorial revote was held to seek a replacement for
Alzier, who was elected Lampung governor in December 2002.
Alzier's victory was annulled by Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno earlier this year, after police brought graft charges
against him.

Meanwhile, Alzier claimed the revote was illegal.

Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, Alzier's lawyer, said that he had
lodged a protest with the Ministry of Home Affairs and chairwoman
of the Lampung Council Nurhasanah. He said the Lampung Council
had proceeded with the revote despite the Jakarta Administrative
Court's verdict in favor of Alzier, in his lawsuit against the
minister. The lawsuit challenged the minister's annulment of
Alzier's victory.