Minister to appoint acting Sampang regent
Minister to appoint acting Sampang regent
JAKARTA (JP): The central government has decided to end the
ongoing rift over the newly elected regent of Sampang in Madura
island off East Java and appoint a caretaker while mediation
activities are underway.
Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Lt. Gen. (ret)
Surjadi Soedirdja said on Tuesday he would appoint an acting
regent for Sampang regency if the two warring groups could not
settle their problem themselves.
"I will install an acting regent for Sampang. I'm now waiting
for a report on the dispute from the East Java governor (Imam
Utomo)," Surjadi told reporters on the sidelines of a hearing at
the House of Representatives.
He said he had suggested that the two groups consider two
alternative solutions to the problem surrounding the reelection
of regent Fadhilah Budiono.
He proposed that Fadhilah should first be installed before the
legal process into the ongoing rift got underway, while secondly,
the elected regent should be investigated before being installed.
"But it seems that the two warring groups could not accept the
alternatives," Surjadi, a former Jakarta governor, said.
The minister considered the reelection of Fadhilah valid
although one of the 23 Sampang councilors who had voted for the
police officer resigned before the election was conducted in
July.
"The councilor has resigned but his successor has yet to be
inducted. So, he (the resigned councilor) still has the right to
vote," he said, without mentioning the name of the resigned
councilor.
Mobs set the Sampang Council building on fire last Wednesday
to protest the reelection of Fadhilah, who is a police colonel.
Supported by the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Military (TNI)/National Police factions, Fadhilah
secured 23 votes of a total 45 councilors to be reelected
Sampang regent for a second consecutive term. He defeated the
National Awakening Party (PKB) candidate by just one ballot.
PKB is the largest faction in the local council with 18 seats,
while PPP is the second with 12 seats.
Besides questioning the validity of Fadhilah's vote, PKB also
accused the elected regent of having been involved in a swindle
over rice aid for Madurese refugees, who were the victims of
riots in West Kalimantan in 1998. (jun)