Pardede installed despite controversy

Pardede installed despite controversy

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno oversaw the inauguration on
Monday for governor-elect T. Rizal Nurdin and deputy Rudolf
Pardede despite the ongoing investigation of the latter, who
allegedly has a fake high school diploma.

Speaking after the inauguration, Hari said that Pardede would
be held responsible if he is found guilty.

He said that the central government would not take any actions
before the North Sumatra Police finish their investigation. The
police are still researching the case and have sent a special
team to a high school in Sukabumi, West Java, which Pardede
claimed that he had graduated from.

Hari has apparently decided not to intervene until the probe
is complete.

"Pardede was inaugurated today. If he has any legal problems,
they will be his responsibility. The legal process must
continue," Hari said.

The inauguration ceremony was boycotted by all the councillors
from the Golkar Party faction. They had threatened on Friday to
boycott the event due to their disappointment over the central
government's decision to allow Pardede to be installed as the
deputy governor despite the controversial case that has attracted
public attention.

Rizal and Pardede were both nominated by the Indonesian
Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and won the vote
on May 26 against Chairuman Harahap, chief of the North Sumatra
Prosecutor's Office, and Serta Ginting, deputy speaker of the
North Sumatra Council from Golkar Party faction. Rizal and
Pardede won the vote 51 to 33.

Pardede -- son of the late T.D. Pardede, a successful
businessman -- is chairman of the North Sumatra branch of PDI
Perjuangan.

Around 2,000 police officers were deployed to guard the
inauguration, which was also attended by other high ranking
officials, including Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, former North
Sumatra governor Raja Inal Siregar, several legislators and
delegates from neighboring countries.

According to Hari, Pardede claimed that his high school
diploma was missing. He later attached a letter informing the
election committee that he graduated from the Penabur Christian
high school in Sukabumi before he ran for the deputy governor
position. Hari said that Pardede graduated from a college abroad
but would not say which country or the name of the college.

The Penabur Christian high school principal Martha
Christiawati sent a letter dated May 28, 2003, informing the
council and home ministry that there was no student named Rudolf
Mazuoka Pardede on the school records.

Hari explained that the Ministry of Home Affairs had examined
all the documentation for all North Sumatra gubernatorial
candidates based on recommendations from the election committee
and the North Sumatra council.

"If there is any problems with a candidate's papers, including
Rudolf Pardede, it would be the responsibility of the committee
and the faction which nominated him," he said.

Meanwhile, Pardede told The Jakarta Post that he was not
feeling any pressure about the allegation and would leave the
investigation to the police.

"The police are investigating, so let's just wait for the
result," he said.