Police officer candidate for village chief

Police officer candidate for village chief

BOGOR (JP): The Bogor Mayoralty Office has promised to revoke
a decision made by the Bubulak village chief election committee
in West Bogor which annulled the participation of a candidate
from the police force.

The head of village administration affairs in the office,
Edgar Suratman, said on Thursday that the 41-year-old candidate,
First Sergeant Ade Wahyudin, could now take part in the July 20
election.

The decision was announced by Edgar after a meeting with Ade
and representatives of a group of 500 Bubulak villagers in his
office a few hours earlier.

During the meeting Ade agreed to leave the police force so
that his lowly rank would not prevent him from standing for
election.

According to Edgar, a 15-year-old Minister of Defense and
Security decree stipulates that ABRI candidates in elections for
village chief must hold the minimum rank of sergeant major.

Ade's rank is two steps below the required rank.

"For the sake of the (Bubulak) people, I am willing to resign
from the police," said Ade, who is a law graduate and policeman
of 20 years.

The educational background of any prospective candidate is not
important, Edgar added.

Thursday's meeting was called abruptly by Edgar after 500
people packed into the mayoralty office to demand that the mayor
revoke the election committee's decision which ruled Ade out of
the contest and thereby brought his attempt to become Bubulak
village chief to a premature end.

The decision angered the local villagers, the protesters said.

"Pak Ade was not standing for his own interests. It was us,
the Bubulak villagers, who wanted him to be our chief," a 27 year
old protester called Mamat said.

Another protester, Hidayat, 33, explained that Ade had been
stationed in the village for almost five years.

"Although he has been here for a relatively short period, he
is already close to the whole community and has always paid
serious attention to the needs of the village people.

"He has given so much to the community. He even helps people
who come to him in the middle of the night," Hidayat said, giving
no further details.

According to the protesters, Ade took part in a series of
tests before the election committee declared that he failed to
meet the stipulated requirement regarding his rank.

The protesters questioned why the committee had announced
their decision only after Ade had taken the tests.

"Normally, if a candidate is allowed to take the tests it
means that he or she has fulfilled all prerequisites to stand for
election," said Sofyan, 22, another protester. (24/bsr)