Habibie approves Sultan's governorship

Habibie approves Sultan's governorship

JAKARTA (JP): Yogyakarta's traditional monarch Sri Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X has won the president's approval and will soon
be installed as the new governor of the special province.

Secretary-general of the Ministry of Home Affairs Feisal
Tamin, confirmed on Monday that President B.J. Habibie has issued
a decree on Sri Sultan's appointment as Yogyakarta governor,
replacing Sri Paku Alam VIII who died earlier this month.

"Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X will be the 1998/2003 governor of
Yogyakarta," Feisal said, quoting the presidential decree No.
268/N/1998 which was issued on Sept. 24, 1998.

Paku Alam died of old age on Sept. 11 in Yogyakarta's Sardjito
General Hospital after 24 days of intensive treatment for
respiratory problems. Paku Alam, from the royal house of Paku
Alaman, succeeded the sultan's father, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono
IX, who died in 1988.

Asked about the legal grounds for appointing the Sri Sultan as
the new governor, Feisal said the government had no intention of
revoking the special regional status for Yogyakarta.

He did say however, that the government also applied the same
governorship regulations as it does in other provinces.

The government recognizes two different regulations on
Yogyakarta's governorship. One is the Law No. 3/1950, which
stipulates that governors in the special province must come from
the royal family and be appointed directly by the president
through a presidential decree.

The other is the Law No. 5/1974 which limits a governor's term
in office to a maximum of two periods.

The government had earlier caved in to overwhelming public
sentiment and agreed that Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X would be
the lone candidate for Yogyakarta's special region governorship.

The Yogyakarta provincial legislative council last month
unanimously elected Sri Sultan as the only candidate for governor
to replace then acting governor Paku Alam VIII. (imn)