Lampung revote faces mounting opposition
Lampung revote faces mounting opposition
Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung
The Lampung legislative council is facing increasing pressure to
cancel its plans for a gubernatorial revote, while three major
factions withdrew their members from the election committee in
protest.
The Golkar Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the
National Mandate Party (PAN) said they had withdrawn their
councillors in opposition of the planned revote for a new Lampung
governor scheduled for May 15.
The two factions also withdrew its councillors from the revote
consultative committee.
Other factions in the council, including the United
Development Party (PPP) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS),
are also opposed to the planned revote.
Numerous student and community groups, as well as non-
governmental organizations, have staged demonstrations against a
repeat election.
Golkar faction chairman I Made Bagiase said the withdrawal of
its three members from the two committees was ordered by the
party's central board, led by Akbar Tandjung.
"We are not involved in the gubernatorial election and will
not be responsible for its outcome," Bagiase said on Wednesday in
the provincial capital of Bandarlampung.
Likewise, PKB faction chairman Muhamad Habib said the party
had been instructed by its cofounder and presidential candidate
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid not to participate in the revote.
The PKB adopted the stance in objection to the revote being
held by councillors of the 1999-2004 term, Habib said.
It had also canceled the nomination of member Ismet Romas as
running mate to an as-yet unnamed gubernatorial candidate, he
said.
The PKB and other factions suggested that the revote be held
by the new Lampung Council elected in the April 5 general
election.
However, Golkar -- the second largest faction after the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) -- has said it
would not ban members from contesting the repeat gubernatorial
election.
"It's their political right as a citizen to contest the
election. Please go ahead. I will support them personally,"
Bagiase said.
He added that Golkar and other factions opposed to the revote
would refuse to cooperate with and prepare impeachment plans for
the governor-elect.
Responding to the protests, Lampung Council speaker Nurhasanah
said the planned revote would go ahead.
"The planned gubernatorial repeat election will proceed,
although some factions have withdrawn their members from the
election committee," she said.
Based on existing regulations, the election committee need not
involve all factions in the council, argued Nurhasanah of the
PDI-P, which came second after Golkar in the April 5 legislative
election.
The PDI-P faction, the largest in the council, has insisted on
a successful revote on May 15 in the hope that PDI-P's
gubernatorial candidate, Sachiruddin Zuber, and his running mate
Syamsurya Ryacudu would be elected.
The repeat election seeks to replace Alzier Zianis Thabranie,
whose victory in the December 2002 election was annulled by
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno earlier this year after
police brought graft charges against him.
Alzier defeated then incumbent governor Oemarsono, who was
backed by PDI-P's President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
However, Oemarsono is trying to make a comeback by contesting
the May revote along with some 20 hopefuls, including noted
lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat and Sachiruddin, as well as a pedicab
driver.