North Maluku new caretaker sworn in despite protests

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Defying mounting protests against the appointment of Sinyo Harry Sarundayang as acting North Maluku governor, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno swore him in on Friday for the post to replace caretaker Brig. Gen. Abdul Muchyi Effendy.

The inauguration of Sarundayang, the current inspector general at the Ministry of Home Affairs, was ordered by President Megawati Soekarnoputri through a decree she signed on March 23, 2002.

The swearing-in ceremony, held at Hari's office in Jakarta, was tightly guarded by around 200 police personnel to prevent possible violent protests against the event.

Hari stated that Sarundayang was installed to replace Muchyi because the latter's one-year term of office would end this month.

The minister said the new caretaker's main job was to facilitate the gubernatorial elections for the 2002-2007 period -- twice in the past the vote was annulled -- and to restore normalcy to the provincial administration.

He hoped Sarundayang's appointment would end the controversies over the election of Abdul Gafur and Yamin Tawari respectively as North Maluku's first governor and deputy governor on July 5, 2001.

The results of that election by the provincial legislative council were annulled by the central government due to strong allegations of vote-buying and bribes.

Hari later installed Muhyi as caretaker governor in the newly- created province to facilitate a recall vote on March 7, 2002, in which Thaib Armain and Yamin Waisale were elected.

However, the central government declared that vote also to be illegitimate as well, because the council had failed to reach a quorum at the time of the vote.

Earlier, an alliance of four North Maluku student associations in Yogyakarta had urged Megawati to annul her presidential decree on the appointment of Sarundayang.

The student groups instead demanded that the election of Thaib Armain and Yamin Waisale be accepted as permanent.