Team to probe abuses in governor election

Team to probe abuses in governor election

JAKARTA (JP): The government has set up a team to investigate
whether bribery took place during the recent election of Abdul
Gafur of Golkar Party as governor of North Maluku, announced the
outgoing minister of home affairs and regional autonomy Soerjadi
Soedirdja.

Speaking to reporters, after a ceremony to hand over his job
to his successor Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno, Soerjadi said the team
comprised officials from the directorate general of regional
autonomy, the inspectorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs and
members of the House of Representatives Commission II on Legal
and Home Affairs.

"If they find that the newly elected governor has used money
politics then we will hold a new election," he said, adding that
the team will start their investigation next week.

Gafur, who once served as state minister of sports and youth
affairs under the administration of former president Soeharto,
was elected on June 5 as the governor of North Maluku, replacing
acting governor Muhyi Effendie.

However, the provincial council, after receiving reports that
Abdul Gafur gave money to two councillors to elect him, decided
to temporarily suspend the election result, pending further
investigation. The two councillors are M. Sahatin of Golkar Party
and Muksin Sudara of the United Development Party (PPP).

The provincial council also recommended to the Minister of
Home Affairs to extend the term of Muhyi Effendie until a new
governor was elected.

Soerjadi also revealed that he had sent letters on two
separate occasions to East Java Governor Imam Utomo, asking him
to install the controversially elected Sampang regent Fahdilah
Budiono.

"But Pak Imam Utomo objected to doing it immediately as he had
to wait for conducive conditions there," Soerjadi said, without
further elaboration.

East Java is known as the strong base of former president
Abdurrahman Wahid's Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) organization. (tso)