Police investigate deputy governor's fake diploma

Police investigate deputy governor's fake diploma

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

North Sumatra Provincial Police have begun investigating the
allegedly bogus diploma of deputy governor-elect Rudolf Pardede,
a matter of great public interest in the province.

A team, led by Comr. M. Butar-Butar, has been sent to the Riau
town of Tanjungpinang where Rudolf was at junior high school and
to the West Java town of Sukabumi where he attended senior high
school.

Head of detectives and criminology at the provincial police
Sr. Comr. Hari Prasetyo confirmed on Saturday that his team was
still on its way to the two towns to carry out its investigation.

It was being carried out, he said, not to interfere in the
province's political matters but to uphold the law. "The police
are obliged to be proactive in handling such matters to avoid
instability, which could affect security and order in the
province," he said.

The investigators' main mission was to check whether Rudolf
graduated from the two schools and was given a diploma, because
he failed to show his senior high school diploma when, along with
incumbent governor T. Rizal Nurdin, he ran for the number two
position in the province.

Rudolf was risking the annulment of his victory in the recent
gubernatorial election if it was proved that he did not graduate
from senior high school and, according to Government Regulation
No 108/2000 on the appointment of regional officials, the
provincial legislative council would be obliged to elect a new
deputy governor.

Many student groups, local nongovernmental organizations and
those defeated in the gubernatorial election have strongly urged
the police to investigate the case to avoid creating confusion
among the public.

The 1999 regional autonomy law requires gubernatorial and
deputy gubernatorial candidates to at least be senior high school
graduates with a senior high school diploma before they can run
in a gubernatorial election.

So far, both President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Home
Minister Hari Sabarno have yet to respond to the victory of Rizal
and Rudolf in the election held on May 26.

Prasetyo declined to comment further on whether or not the
winning pair would be sworn in, saying, "Our main task is to
carry out the investigation and the result will be handed over to
the legislative council."

Deputy chairman of the provincial legislative council Saladin
Siringoringo insisted that the gubernatorial election was held
fairly and democratically,in line with the extant regulations.

"The gubernatorial election committee is making preparations
for the inauguration of the new governor and deputy governor,
scheduled for June 16," he said.