Sultan seeks term extension

Sultan seeks term extension

YOGYAKARTA: Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who is also a
presidential hopeful from the Golkar Party, is seeking an
extension on his five-year term in the governor's seat as the
central government will likely postpone his swearing-in due to
next year's elections.

A request for the extension will be filed on Thursday with
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, secretary of the
Yogyakarta administration Bambang Suasanto Priyohadi said on
Wednesday.

The sultan's term in office, as well as that of his deputy
Paku Alam IX, ends on Oct. 3. Last month, they were appointed by
the Yogyakarta legislative council for another five-year term.

However, it is likely that the home minister will not swear
them in by Saturday, meaning that after Oct. 3, the sultan will
serve as the acting governor.

Bambang said the situation would create problems for the
province as the sultan would not be authorized to approve the
disbursement of funds from the budget until he is sworn in.

On average, the governor endorses the disbursement of up to Rp
1 billion (US$117,647) from the province's budget per day, he
said.

"If the sultan becomes the acting governor and has no
authority to sign documents, who will have the right to disburse
funds?" Bambang asked.

He said that as acting governor, the sultan would also not be
empowered to issue any government regulations. "That's why we are
sending a request to the minister of home affairs tomorrow
(Thursday) to extend the governor's and his deputy's term." --JP