JP/5/mundur

JP/5/mundur

Village heads threaten to thwart Golkar election bid

Andi Hajramurni
The Jakarta Post
Makassar, South Sulawesi

Dozens of village heads in Enrekang regency, South Sulawesi, have
threatened to resign en masse so as to prevent the Golkar Party
from winning the 2003 regental election in the district in a
protest against the party's candidate.

The protesters demanded that Golkar withdraw its support for
Y.K. Sawati in the regental election scheduled for October. The
Enrekang legislative council has yet to set a specific date for
the election.

Should the party press ahead with nominating Sawati, who
chairs the Enrekang branch of Golkar and is also the local
council speaker, the village heads said they would resign and
thus thwart the party's participation in the regental election.

The threat was conveyed during a demonstration by the village
heads, numbering at least 39, at the South Sulawesi legislative
council on Thursday.

Joining the protest were dozens of activists from various
organizations, including the Golkar Renewal Youth Force (AMPG),
the Pancasila Youth group and the Indonesian National Youth
Committee (KNPI).

The demonstrators claimed that Sawati, 60, is not fit to lead
the Enrekang administration for the 2003-2008 period.

"We don't agree with the Golkar nomination because not only is
he not capable, he is also too old. He will certainly not be able
to work to the maximum," protest leader Syarifuddin Sinring said.

"In this mountainous district, how will such an elderly person
be able to visit his constituents when he himself needs a helper
to accompany him," he added.

Dasi Jaga, the head of Tallang Rilau village in Bunging
subdistrict, claimed that apart from him and his 38 counterparts,
around 75 of the 108 village heads in Enrekang also opposed
Sawati's regental bid.

Similarly, Batu Mila village head Hasanuddin in Maiwa
subdistrict said those opposed to Sawati had agreed to boycott
Golkar's campaigns in the 2004 elections in the regency.

"If the Golkar faction insists on nominating its current
candidate, we will resign en masse and ban the erection of the
party's attributes in our areas," he added.

Sawati is expected to challenge the reelection bid of
incumbent Enrekang regent, Iqbal Mustofa. Three other candidates
will also contest the election.

Sawati won the support of the South Sulawesi provincial
chapter of Golkar, but the protesters claim that most people in
the regency wanted Iqbal to retain the post, saying he is "more
professional and capable" than the Golkar-backed candidate.

"We think that Iqbal is still capable of leading Enrekang. But
if he has to be replaced, it must not be by Y.K. Sawati,"
asserted Syarifuddin.