N. Sumatra deputy gov. set for rejection

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

North Sumatra provincial council members are likely to reject Deputy Governor Rudolf Pardede as acting governor after governor Teuku Rizal Nurdin died in the Mandala Boeing 737-200 crash in Medan on Monday.

Several councillors hinted that they would reject Rudolf as acting governor following a report that Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf was in the process of preparing a draft presidential decree to name the late governor's replacement.

Councilor Fadli Nurzal said some members were joining forces to reject Rudolf, as could be seen from a demand for council leaders to set up a special committee -- called "diplomagate" special committee -- on Deputy Governor Rudolf Pardede.

The demand to investigate whether the deputy governor has a fake diploma arose two years ago prior to the province's gubernatorial election.

In the election, Chairuman Harahap and Serta Ginting, nominated by the Golkar Party faction, ran against Rizal and Rudolf, who were supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The Golkar faction attempted to use the diploma issue against Rizal and Rudolph to make them lose the election.

Fadli said several factions in the council that originally supported Rizal and Rudolf were joining hands with factions that supported the formation of the special committee.

"Several factions that support the formation of the special diplomagate committee also come from those who earlier supported Rizal and Rudolf," Fadli told The Jakarta Post without elaborating or providing names.

He said Rudolf's supporters had turned their backs on him due to his unclear vision as deputy governor.

"We want to know what Rudolf has done for the province. We supported him before because we supported Rizal Nurdin," Fadli said.

The head of the National Mandate Party faction at the council, Ibrahim Sakty Batubara, confirmed the likely rejection of Rudolf's appointment as acting governor through the demand to set up a special committee but declined to comment further.

"It would be unethical to talk so soon about who would replace Rizal Nurdin. We're still in mourning, let things cool down," Ibrahim said.

Meanwhile, Rudolf reportedly chaired a closed-door meeting, the first after the late governor's demise, with the provincial secretary as well as heads of offices under the provincial administration at the governor's office.

The head of the province's Information and Communication Bureau, R.E. Nainggolan, who attended the meeting, said the governor's replacement was not discussed at the meeting.

He said that Rudolf had only requested at the meeting that all offices and bureaus under the administration continue the programs set by the late governor.

"We were asked to stay solid and united to ensure the province remained safe and secure following the death of Governor Rizal Nurdin," Nainggolan told the Post.

He said none of the officials would easily forget the late governor's kindness.

"The late Governor Rizal Nurdin was like a father and best friend. He was an honest and wise leader," Nainggolan said.

The governor died in Monday's crash while heading to Jakarta to attend a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other provincial leaders. He was buried on Tuesday in the Deli sultanate family cemetery plot in Al Mashun Grand Mosque in Medan.