PDI-P backs ex-generals for top post in North Sumatra
PDI-P backs ex-generals for top post in North Sumatra
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has
named four retired Army generals as gubernatorial candidates to
lead the province of North Sumatra for the next five years.
Budi Mulya Bangun, a legislator of the party's provincial
chapter, confirmed on Friday that the PDI Perjuangan executive
board had proposed the four candidates to the North Sumatra
chapter.
"The four are outgoing governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin, Maj. Gen.
(ret) Samsyir Siregar, ex-chief of the former State Intelligence
Coordinating Board (Bakin), former chief of the East Java
Military Command Maj. Gen. Sudi Silalahi, and former chief of the
Trikora Military Command Maj. Gen. (ret) Radjakami Sembiring," he
said.
Rizal, whose term of office will end June 2003, is also former
chief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing both North
and West Sumatra and Riau, while Radjakami is also deputy
chairman of PDI Perjuangan.
Budi explained that his party was determined to select its
gubernatorial candidates from the military, to maintain the unity
of pluralist groups in the province.
The province, home to Malay, Batak, Javanese, Acehnese,
Chinese and Minangkabau ethnic groups and various religions, is
prone to sectarian and ethnic conflicts and in the past, several
churches in the provincial capital were bombed.
Friday was opening day for the registration of gubernatorial
candidates, but by evening, no candidates had registered with the
gubernatorial election committee.
Golkar was scheduled to nominate the deputy chairman of the
provincial legislature, Abdul Wahab Dalimunthe, but the party
faction has yet to register him with the election commission.
Rizal confirmed that he would contest in the gubernatorial
election for his second period with political support expected
from PDI Perjuangan.
He called on the gubernatorial election committee and non-
governmental organizations to closely monitor the election to
prevent it from being contaminated by money politics. Azwir
Sofyan, a provincial legislator of the National Mandate Party,
agreed and said they should also be wary of possible graft cases
during the election.
Meanwhile, Fachriza Marta Tandjung, coordinator of the North
Sumatra Crisis Centre (NSCC), expressed her skepticism that the
gubernatorial election would be free of money politics.
Robinson Sitepu, another PDI Perjuangan legislator, conceded
that campaign teams of several individuals wanting to contest in
the gubernatorial election had already launched "a political
guerrilla" to gather support for their candidates.
"Even worse, several legislators conceded that they were
promised projects if their candidate wins the election," he said.
He said he and many other legislators had received "good
service" from several prospective gubernatorial candidates over
the last three months. He declined to identify the prospective
candidates from whom they had received good service.
Of the 85 seats in the provincial legislative council, 30 were
occupied by PDI Perjuangan and 17 by Golkar, while the remaining
38 were divided among ten minor political parties, including the
Indonesian Military and National Police faction.
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has
named four retired Army generals as gubernatorial candidates to
lead the province of North Sumatra for the next five years.
Budi Mulya Bangun, a legislator of the party's provincial
chapter, confirmed on Friday that the PDI Perjuangan executive
board had proposed the four candidates to the North Sumatra
chapter.
"The four are outgoing governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin, Maj. Gen.
(ret) Samsyir Siregar, ex-chief of the former State Intelligence
Coordinating Board (Bakin), former chief of the East Java
Military Command Maj. Gen. Sudi Silalahi, and former chief of the
Trikora Military Command Maj. Gen. (ret) Radjakami Sembiring," he
said.
Rizal, whose term of office will end June 2003, is also former
chief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing both North
and West Sumatra and Riau, while Radjakami is also deputy
chairman of PDI Perjuangan.
Budi explained that his party was determined to select its
gubernatorial candidates from the military, to maintain the unity
of pluralist groups in the province.
The province, home to Malay, Batak, Javanese, Acehnese,
Chinese and Minangkabau ethnic groups and various religions, is
prone to sectarian and ethnic conflicts and in the past, several
churches in the provincial capital were bombed.
Friday was opening day for the registration of gubernatorial
candidates, but by evening, no candidates had registered with the
gubernatorial election committee.
Golkar was scheduled to nominate the deputy chairman of the
provincial legislature, Abdul Wahab Dalimunthe, but the party
faction has yet to register him with the election commission.
Rizal confirmed that he would contest in the gubernatorial
election for his second period with political support expected
from PDI Perjuangan.
He called on the gubernatorial election committee and non-
governmental organizations to closely monitor the election to
prevent it from being contaminated by money politics. Azwir
Sofyan, a provincial legislator of the National Mandate Party,
agreed and said they should also be wary of possible graft cases
during the election.
Meanwhile, Fachriza Marta Tandjung, coordinator of the North
Sumatra Crisis Centre (NSCC), expressed her skepticism that the
gubernatorial election would be free of money politics.
Robinson Sitepu, another PDI Perjuangan legislator, conceded
that campaign teams of several individuals wanting to contest in
the gubernatorial election had already launched "a political
guerrilla" to gather support for their candidates.
"Even worse, several legislators conceded that they were
promised projects if their candidate wins the election," he said.
He said he and many other legislators had received "good
service" from several prospective gubernatorial candidates over
the last three months. He declined to identify the prospective
candidates from whom they had received good service.
Of the 85 seats in the provincial legislative council, 30 were
occupied by PDI Perjuangan and 17 by Golkar, while the remaining
38 were divided among ten minor political parties, including the
Indonesian Military and National Police faction.