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.