Sultan supports 'clean' alliance

Sultan supports 'clean' alliance

YOGYAKARTA: Yogyakarta governor and sultan, Hamengkubuwono X,
called on the public to throw their weight behind a coalition of
parties and public figures who had vowed to promote a clean
national leadership.

"I don't know the details of the alliance as I only read about
it in the papers. But I expect the coalition will help democracy
to flourish and grow richer," the sultan said on Saturday.

He said he would wait and see before deciding whether to join
the alliance.

"It's good to see a coalition of critics who fight for civil
society. But it would be counterproductive if they just express
their despair," he said.

A group of political party leaders, non-governmental
organization figures and retired military officers announced the
establishment on Friday of an alliance for clean national
leadership. In their joint statement, they called on the public
not to vote for crooked politicians. -- JP