Sultan named sole candidate for governor
Sultan named sole candidate for governor
YOGYAKARTA (JP): After weeks of debate the provincial
legislature here took a vote yesterday evening and decided to put
forward the name of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X as the sole
candidate for governor.
Sri Sultan defeated rival Alfian Darmawan, the chairman of the
Yogyakarta chapter of the United Development Party, and must now
gain the approval of the central government.
How the votes were placed in the 45-member legislature was not
immediately known.
The vote ended weeks of controversy in which many believed the
very standing of the province's special status was at stake.
The issue revolved around the debate on whether someone other
than the Yogyakarta aristocracy could assume the post or even be
nominated as governor.
The Golkar and Armed Forces factions, with apparent strong
public support, nominated Sri Sultan as candidate.
However the United Development Party (PPP) faction insisted on
nominating Alfian, thus forcing a vote on the matter.
Many argued that PPP's action would jeopardize Yogyakarta's
special status, enshrined in Law No. 3/1950, in which Sri Sultan
Hamengkubuwono IX was appointed governor and Paku Alam VIII as
his deputy.
When the elder Sri Sultan died in 1988, Paku Alam took over as
acting governor until he recently asked to step down for health
reasons.
The Golkar and Armed Forces factions have argued that
Yogyakarta's special legal status requires the governor to be
selected from one of the province's two aristocratic houses.
The situation reached an impasse when the PPP refused to back
down on its decision to nominate their own candidate, despite
repeated public rallies demanding that Sri Sultan be put forward
as the sole nominee.
The Yogyakarta legislature will now submit Sri Sultan's name
to the central government for approval.
Special status
The overwhelming public display of support for the Sultan and
demands that Yogyakarta retain its special status continued
throughout the day yesterday.
About 700 protesters from all walks of life -- pedicab
drivers, street vendors, housewives, students and office
employees -- gathered in front of the legislature building to
demand the legislators support Sri Sultan.
The protesters even forced provincial legislature speaker
Subagyo Waryadi to sign a statement pledging his commitment to
nominate Sri Sultan as the sole candidate.
"We no longer believe oral statements. We need a written one.
Should you (legislators) refuse to comply, we will stay here
until you do," one protester, Endang Sudjonoworo, said as she
presented Subagyo with a prepared statement for him to sign.
Subagyo, himself a representative of the Armed Forces faction,
signed the statement in a personal capacity.
Several other legislators also signed to demonstrate their
support to the public.
Late yesterday evening the grounds of the provincial
legislature building were still filled with hundreds of people
and a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed. (23/44/swa)