Minister takes over Lampung govt

JAKARTA: Home minister Hari Sabarno has temporarily taken control of public administration in Lampung province following the arrest of governor-elect Alzier Dianis Thabranie on criminal charges.

The ministry's director general for regional autonomy, Oentarto Sindung Mawardi, made a statement to that effect here on Tuesday while explaining the government's stance over Thabranie's arrest.

According to Oentarto, the appointment of the minister to temporarily take charge of the Lampung administration was contained in a presidential decree.

He disclosed that the minister in turn had assigned the ministry's head of research and development, Tuswandi, as acting governor to deal with the day-to-day running of the province.

The director general pointed out that Sabarno also expected the acting governor, in cooperation with Lampung's provincial legislative assembly, to furnish the public with accurate information regarding the Alzier affair.

The minister, Oentarto said, had also asked the provincial legislative assembly to evaluate the mechanisms for gubernatorial elections and to improve them so that a candidate facing prosecution would not be elected in the future.

"This issue will be referred back to the provincial legislative assembly so that its members can ensure the election of a governor who is free of legal problems," he said. According to Oentarto, his ministry had actually warned the provincial legislative assembly that Alzier was facing legal problems, but the legislators had decided to ignore the warning.

"When the issue had become a legal case, the provincial legislators referred it to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry, however, can do nothing to interfere with the legal process," Oentarto pointed out.