Govt delays West Java gubernatorial election
Govt delays West Java gubernatorial election
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java
Taking a lesson from other provinces, Home Minister Hari Sabarno
ordered the West Java legislative council to delay the
gubernatorial election until all candidates met all
administrative requirements.
Chairman of the gubernatorial election committee Suyaman
confirmed on Friday that he had asked the home minister to call
on the legislative council to delay the gubernatorial election
scheduled for May 19, since two candidates had yet to meet all
administrative and legal requirements.
Danny Setiawan, a gubernatorial candidate nominated by Golkar
and the United Development Party (PPP) factions, was required to
get an approval from the government prosecutor's office in
Bandung which was still investigating him for alleged involvement
in a Rp 4.1 billion corruption case.
Rudy Harsya Tanaya, a deputy gubernatorial candidate nominated
by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
and National Awakening Party (PKB) factions to accompany
gubernatorial candidate Tayo Tarmadi, could not provide a senior
high school diploma, which he said he had misplaced.
The local police and the Regina Pacis Senior High School in
Bogor confirmed his official explanation that his certificate had
been lost.
The 1999 regional autonomy law requires all candidates to be
at least high school graduates.
The minister also made a similar decision to delay the
gubernatorial election in North Sumatra because deputy
gubernatorial candidate Rudolf Pardede nominated by PDI
Perjuangan faction had no high school diploma.
The central government has taken much of the criticism for
several dubious gubernatorial and regency elections in recent
years.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has declined to accept Alzier
Dianis Thabranie who was elected as governor by the Lampung
provincial legislature last November as the senior provincial
official was involved in several corruption cases. A regency in
Riau was dismissed by the regency legislature for using a fake
high school diploma when he ran for office. The new governors of
South and Southeast Sulawesi have face strong protests for a
spate of alleged wrongdoings before they were elected.
The provincial legislative council held a meeting to respond
to the home minister's letter but no decision was made on whether
to accept the minister's instruction or not.
Irfan Anshori, chairman of the coalition faction at the
legislature, was taken aback by the letter which he claimed was
belittling toward the provincial legislative council and its
rulings.
"It will be a problem if the legislative council cannot elect
a new government by June 6 at which time (current) Governor
Nuriana would legally have to vacate his office."