Ryaas faults govt over Lampung

Ryaas faults govt over Lampung

JAKARTA: Former regional autonomy minister Ryaas Rasyid criticized the government for not swearing in Lampung's governor- elect because of corruption allegations, saying this violated the regional autonomy law.

"The minister of home affairs is obliged to swear in Alzier Dianis Thabrani even though the corruption case is still being investigated. He is a valid governor, and he must be sworn in and allowed to serve until he is proven guilty in the case," he said here on Thursday.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri chose to delay the seating of Alzier because of allegations over corruption in the distribution of fertilizer in the province, causing some Rp 1 trillion in state losses.

Ryaas said that according to the regional autonomy law, only the court had the authority to declare Alzier guilty or innocent. "The governor only has to step down if he is found guilty," he said.

Alzier won 39 of 75 votes in the Dec. 30, 2002, gubernatorial election. His nearest competitor was Oemarsono, who was backed by Megawati and her PDI Perjuangan but only received 33 votes.

Home affairs minister Hari Sabarno has appointed Tursandi Alwi as acting governor for the time being. --Antara