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)