Sampang's new regent to be installed: Surjadi
Sampang's new regent to be installed: Surjadi
JAKARTA (JP): The Minister of Home Affairs and Regional
Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja has given an assurance that the East
Java governor would install the controversially elected Sampang
regent Fahdilah Budiono immediately, a deputy speaker of the
House of Representatives said Friday.
House deputy speaker Sutardjo Soerjoguritno said that Surjadi
gave the guarantee to Sampang local figure Alawy Muhammad during
a meeting in his office, Satunet.com reported.
Sutardjo stated that Alawy came to his house, saying that
Budiono should be installed as the Sampang regent soon because
the delay of the installment, which had been put off for seven
months, has affected the local state officers in performing their
duties.
Feeling concerned with the case, Sutardjo took the initiative
to facilitate a meeting between Surjadi and Alawy.
"The response of the minister was quite good. He said he would
issue a decree to install the regent," he said.
It seems that the East Java governor, Imam Utomo, hesitated to
inaugurate the regent as the instruction for the installment did
not come from the President Abdurrahman Wahid, Sutardjo said.
Surjadi, however, did not give any comment.
The controversy over the inauguration of Fadhilah, who was
supported by the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Military (TNI)/National Police factions, started in
September last year following a protest by the supporters of the
National Awakening Party (PKB).
The PKB strongly protested the inauguration since it was the
largest faction in the council with 18 seats.
Fadhilah, however, secured 23 out of 45 votes, defeating the
PKB candidate by just one vote.
The PKB supporters kept on hampering every attempt to
inaugurate the elected regent. The tension continued when the
supporters of Fadhilah occupied the Sampang regent's office and
threatened to burn down all of the government facilities if Imam
Utomo did not fulfill their demands to inaugurate Fadhilah soon.
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