Minister Syamsul Mu'arif rejected

SAMARINDA: The Golkar Party Young Generation (AMPG) East Kalimantan chapter announced on Monday its rejection of the candidacy of Syamsul Mu'arif, currently the State Minister of Communications and Information, for the House of Representatives.

AMPG deputy chairman Amir P. Ali said his organization refused the candidacy of anyone coming from outside East Kalimantan to represent the province in the House.

Amir claimed Syamsul, who is also Golkar Central Board deputy chairman, hailed from South Kalimantan, so he was not familiar with the situation in East Kalimantan.

"Syamsul was rejected in his own province because he was considered to have no loyalty. We rejected him, too," Amir told The Jakarta Post.

He regretted the party's central board decision to nominate Syamsul as a candidate for the House to represent East Kalimantan.

Meanwhile, earlier, Syamsul denied any rejection of his candidacy as member of the House for the South Kalimantan chapter of Golkar.

"I have a good and close relation with them," Syamsul told the Post recently.-JP