Ismeth appointed as caretaker governor of Riau Islands

Fadli, Batam

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has appointed Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) chairman Ismeth Abdullah as the caretaker governor of Riau Islands (Kepri) province. He will hold both positions indefinitely.

Riau Islands was established as a new province under Law No.25/2002. It consists of Kepri, Karimun, Natuna and Lingga regencies, as well as Tanjung Pinang and Batam municipalities. The total population of the province is 1 million, nearly half of whom reside on Batam island.

Ismeth told The Jakarta Post on Friday by phone that he has been appointed as the new province's ad interim governor through Presidential Decree No.97/M/2004. He has been given the task of preparing infrastructure, such as building the gubernatorial offices and facilities for local agencies, and preparing for gubernatorial elections in three months time.

"We're starting from zero and we hope that the preparations for the infrastructure and other facilities will be completed within the next three months, as mandated by the decree," said Ismeth. He claimed that he did not know when Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno would swear him into office.

"I don't know when the exact date is, but I have to work and do what is required of me," he said.

He also acknowledged that the President had summoned State Secretary/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo and Hari, and asked them to appoint him as caretaker governor while retaining his position as BIDA chairman. He replaced Fanny Habibie, the younger brother of former president BJ Habibie, in that post in 1998.

The government has allocated a budget of Rp 239.8 billion (US$28.1 million) for preparing the bureaucratic infrastructure in the new province. Based on Law No.25/2002, Tanjung Pinang is designated as the capital of the province. Batam will function as the temporary capital prior to the completion of the gubernatorial offices in Tanjung Pinang.

Regarding the appointment of a caretaker governor for the Riau Islands, Yudi Kurnain, a newly elected member of the Batam City Council said he hoped that there would be more progress on Natuna, Karimun and Lingga regencies in terms of infrastructure.

"On the creation of the province, I had hoped for accelerated development in these three regencies," said Yudi, explaining that they lagged far behind Batam and Tanjung Pinang.

The appointment of a caretaker governor has put the controversy surrounding the establishment of the province to an end. The House of Representatives (DPR) itself recognized the establishment of the new province through a law two years ago, but the central government, for undisclosed reasons, dragged its feet in recognizing the new province. In fact, it took two years before the central government moved on Thursday to recognize the new province.

One reason for the delay in official recognition was the unwillingness of Natuna people to have their island incorporated into the new province.