N. Sumatra likely to get another TNI governor

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), which President Megawati Soekarnoputri currently chairs, is likely to vote for the incumbent North Sumatra governor or another military figure in next year's gubernatorial election.

The North Sumatra legislative council, where PDI Perjuangan is the largest faction with 30 seats, is scheduled to elect a new governor for the 2003-2008 period in June.

Japorman Saragih, a deputy chairman of North Sumatra PDI Perjuangan, confirmed on Monday that his party was discussing Governor T. Rizal Nurdin and three other retired generals as possible gubernatorial candidates.

The three -- all retired major generals -- are former chief of the State Intelligence Coordinating Board (Bakin) Syamsir Siregar, PDI Perjuangan legislator Raja Kami Sembiring Meliala and former East Java Brawijaya Military commander Sudi Silalahi.

Legislators from several other factions have also shown support for the incumbent governor, also a retired two-star general.

Critics have accused Nurdin of lacking the determination to fight corruption and other crimes in North Sumatra during his five-year term in office, which will end next year. They claim that the incumbent governor has attained no significant achievements while leading the administration.

The possible nominations by PDI Perjuangan of the four generals surfaced despite reports that the faction would nominate its North Sumatra party chairman Rudolf Pardede as its gubernatorial candidate.

However, Rudolf said recently the decision was not final and PDI Perjuangan could ultimately pick a military figure to contest the election.

"PDI Perjuangan belongs to all of us. The party is open to gubernatorial candidates from the TNI (Indonesian Military)," Japorman said quoting Rudolf.

It is not clear, however, what caused the possible change in the party's candidates for the next governorship.

Japorman argued that a military figure was still relevant to lead the province, where crime is rampant. He did not elaborate.

He said PDI Perjuangan leaders in the province were waiting for instructions from the party's central executive board to officially discuss supporting Nurdin or the three other generals.

"We have yet to receive instructions from the party's central board to select one of the four generals. But their nominations have been unofficially discussed among party leaders here," Japorman told The Jakarta Post in Medan, North Sumatra.

Baskami Ginting, a PDI Perjuangan legislator in the province, confirmed that his party was exploring the possibility of electing a military figure as the next governor.

"We will adhere to a recommendation by the PDI Perjuangan central board on someone to be appointed as its gubernatorial candidate for North Sumatra," he said.

Baskami said he was optimistic that the candidate backed by his faction, which controls 85 percent of the seats in the provincial legislative council, would win the next gubernatorial election.

The second largest faction in the provincial legislative council is Golkar with 17 seats followed by the United Development Party (PPP) with 11 seats. The National Mandate Party (PAN) is represented by eight councillors.

The names of several civilian figures have also been floated to challenge the incumbent governor and the other three generals in the race.

They include deputy governor Abdul Wahab Dalimunthe, who chairs the North Sumatra Golkar Party, PPP chairman of the provincial chapter Hasrul Azwar and head of the province's prosecutor's office Chairuman Harahap.