Rudolf accepted as acting governor

Rudolf accepted as acting governor

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

After a lengthy debate, major parties in the North Sumatra
provincial council on Monday finally endorsed the appointment of
Rudolf Pardede as acting Governor of the province.

The decision by six parties in the provincial council was
declared final and binding despite strong objections from the
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Star Reform Party (PBR).
Frustrated with Rudolf's appointment, members of the two parties
walked out during the plenary session that debated the
appointment of the acting governor.

Emerging from the meeting, a top councillor with PBR Raden
Syafi'i said that he was disappointed with the decision, which
was in line with a decree issued by the Minister of Home Affairs
that appointed Rudolf as acting governor.

Rudolf should have not been appointed because the decree was
administratively flawed, said Raden, the chairman of PBR faction
in the North Sumatra provincial council. He said the decree was
flawed as it was issued without with consent of the provincial
council.

Meanwhile, a leading politician from PKS, Muhammad Nuh, said
the appointment was legally questionable as Rudolf was still
mired in a case concerning his school diploma. Rudolf is being
probed by police because during the gubernatorial election of
2003 he submitted a letter stating that he had completed senior
high school in Sukabumi, West Java and did not have a high school
diploma. As he only filed a letter instead of a school diploma,
his candidacy has been questioned by the certain people and
police were trying to determine if Rudolf was in fact once a
student at the school.

According to Nuh, if Rudolf made a false statement in the
letter, then he should be prosecuted and his appointment
annulled.

Nuh suspected that the statements in the letter were untrue as
Rudolf never provided evidence to support his assertions.

Separately, Hasbullah Hadi, a leading councillor from the
Democrat Party supporting Rudolf said the decision by the
Minister of Home Affairs was correct as he was vested with rights
to appoint an acting Governor.