Nur Mahmudi reveals priorities for his five-year term

Nur Mahmudi reveals priorities for his five-year term

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of supporters of Depok mayoral candidate Badrul Kamal
gathered on Sunday to protest a Supreme Court decision declaring
Nur Mahmudi Ismail of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) the
winner of the June 26 election.

Wearing shirts and jackets from Golkar, the political party
that nominated Badrul, the protesters gathered in front of the
Depok municipality office on Jl. Margonda at noon. Several
protesters delivered speeches and led the crowd in songs.

The deputy head of the Depok council, Usman Balau, also of
Golkar, said the protest was just the first in a series of
demonstrations planned against the court verdict.

"Tomorrow (Monday), we plan to mobilize more people in Depok,
at the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Home Affairs," Usman was
quoted by Antara as saying.

The Supreme Court overturned on Friday a decision by the West
Java High Court declaring Badrul and running mate Syihabuddin
Ahmad winners of the Depok mayoral election.

The Depok General Elections Commission (KPUD) originally
declared Nur Mahmudi Ismail and running mate Yuyun Wirasaputra
the winners of the election, but that decision was overturned by
the West Java High Court.

However, the final say in the dispute belongs to the Supreme
Court, whose decisions are final and binding.

The day after the Supreme Court decision, Nur Mahmudi spelled
out his three main priorities during his five-year term.

He said his priorities were improving the quality of public
services, building more infrastructure and improving law and
order.

He also called on all residents of Depok, including Badrul
Kamal and his supporters, to work together to ensure the success
of development programs in the city.

"We hope all elements of Depok society -- the legislative,
executive and judicial branches, as well as the people -- will
join hands to develop the municipality," said Nur Mahmudi on
Saturday.

Nur Mahmudi said that public service would become his priority
because the main task of the regional administration was to serve
its residents.

He stressed that improving public services would take time,
and that any improvements depended on the work of civil servants.

He promised to improve the professionalism of Depok's civil
servants by organizing training seminars and workshops, as well
as introducing raises and improving their benefits.

Nur Mahmudi said he would focus on building infrastructure to
overcome the problems of flooding and traffic, which are major
problems in Depok.

He said security and public order were important to allow the
municipality to attract investors and push economic growth.

Meanwhile, the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) welcomed on
Saturday the court's decision, saying it was a good precedent for
the Supreme Court to overturn a high court decision widely seen
as violating the public's sense of justice.

"The decision is not only good for democracy in Depok, but it
will also be a good precedent for disputes in other regional
elections," said Cetro executive director Hadar N. Gumay.