PDI-P tips Roy as gubernatorial candidate
PDI-P tips Roy as gubernatorial candidate
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Two months ago, a question emerged among Jakartans: Who would be
able to stop Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso from being reelected for a
second term?
But the former Jakarta military commander is now facing a
tough challenger since the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the biggest party in the City Council
with 30 seats, announced on Wednesday that it would nominate its
deputy chairman Roy B. B. Janis in the October gubernatorial
election.
Chairman of the party's city chapter, Tarmidi Suhardjo, said:
"Roy is the strongest candidate from the party".
In his view, Roy, who formerly chaired the party's city
chapter, would meet the requirements for a gubernatorial
candidate and was familiar with the city.
Article 2 of the draft election regulation stipulates that a
candidate must know Jakarta and must be known by Jakarta
residents.
The soft-spoken Roy, who was born in Jakarta on Aug. 22, 1957,
is also chairman of the PDI Perjuangan faction in the House of
Representatives and a member of House Commission I for political
and security affairs.
Tarmidi is chairman of the City Council's special team
responsible for formulating the election regulations.
He is one of three councillors who have been named as suspects
in a graft case, in which it is reported that the councillors
received an allowance of more than US$10,000 for a foreign trip
that they did not join.
Tarmidi's announcement about Roy's candidacy received a cold
response from Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) chairwoman Wardah
Hafidz.
"Jakarta will not be a better city under Roy," said Wardah,
whose organization has led flood victims to challenge the city
administration for its poor flood control management.
She pointed out that Roy still carried the new order paradigm
of accusing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of being paid
by foreign parties to promote their interests.
In justification of PDI Perjuangan's lack of support for the
current constitutional amendment process, Roy said last week that
the amendment process was influenced by NGOs which were paid by
foreign parties.
The next governor will be elected by the city councillors of
which 30 of them are PDI Perjuangan members.
Roy is the second civilian candidate after the current city
secretary Fauzi Bowo who has been nominated by the Native
Jakartans Association (Bamus Betawi).
Since the city has always been led by governors with a
military background since the New Order regime, activists suspect
that this year the post of Jakarta governor will be still
allocated for a military officer.
Other candidates from the military are City Council chairman,
Maj. Gen. Edy Waluyo and the State Intelligence Body (BIN) chief,
Lt. Gen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono.