Maluku councillors run amok, demand poll confirmation

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

At least 19 councillors in Southeast Maluku ran amok in the office of the Maluku governor in Ambon on Monday, drawing the attention of locals and office employees.

The commotion occurred after the councillors were stood up by Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu, who had agreed to discuss the recent election of Southeast Maluku council leaders with them.

Isack Saimima, the Maluku provincial secretary's deputy greeted the party of 25 councillors, whom the 19 were among, when they arrived at the governor's office in the morning. They were escorted into the governor's meeting room. Initially, the councillors had been relaxed but when Isack informed them that the governor could not attend the meeting as he was out of town, they began to get angry.

Some councillors banged the wooden desks in the room with their hands, while others shouted at the provincial administration officials in attendance. They said the governor was unfair as he had called for the meeting but failed to show up. The councillors suspected the governor was trying to buy time in inaugurating the new council leaders.

Adam Rahayaan, a senior councillor, alleged that the governor's absence was a ploy to delay endorsing the election results. "The governor was to have endorsed the results, but he invited us to come to his office instead," said Adam, who was elected as deputy speaker of Southeast Maluku regency along with fellow councillor Thomas Renyaan in the Dec. 3 election. The council speakership went to M. Tamher.

The biggest faction, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has six members, was the only faction that abstained from the election. But, in the end, they supported the election outcome.

The dispute began when the council secretariat sent a letter to the governor a few days after the election to report the election outcome. Instead of endorsing the results, the governor replied that the inauguration of the council leaders could only be held after his endorsement.

The reply from the governor was followed by an invitation for the councillors to meet with him.

Lukman Matutu, a councillor, said that if the governor did not respond to the councillors' demand, the councillors would file a lawsuit with the state administrative court, seeking the endorsement of the results.