Warsito chosen as C. Kalimantan governor

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Kalimantan legislature yesterday voted overwhelmingly for Warsito Rasman, the central government's candidate, to become the province's new governor.

Warsito, the director general of public administration and regional autonomy as well as the province's current caretaker governor, won 39 of 44 possible votes in the election held in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan capital, yesterday.

The consensus inside the legislature was not matched outside, where some 100 people held a protest accusing assembly members of succumbing to pressure from the central government, according to a reporter from Kompas daily.

The election capped weeks of controversy with many local groups insisting that the time had come for the province to be led by a locally born leader.

Warsito, 62 years old, was appointed caretaker governor in January after the Ministry of Home Affairs was virtually forced to annul an earlier election when the legislature was divided between a local figure and a candidate supplied by Jakarta.

The other two candidates in yesterday's election were both local figures. Donis N Singaraca, former Palangkaraya mayor and Elieser Gerson, the provincial government secretary, received one vote each. Three other votes were declared invalid.

The legislature is dominated by the Golkar faction with 31 members, followed by the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction with eight. The United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions have three and two members, respectively.

The election, and the ballot counting, was supervised by the Ministry of Home Affairs' Inspector General Soedradjad Nataatmadja. He later declared the outcome of the election to be valid, and that all procedures had been followed.

Warsito's election is still subject to confirmation by President Soeharto who has the constitutional authority to appoint provincial governors.

It was the Golkar faction that rebelled after the January election. This time the faction members were under strict orders from the group's central executive board in Jakarta to toe the official line.

Local political analysts quickly gave the election results a big thumbs down.

Baselman N. Hamun of Palangkaraya University said the election showed that democracy in the province is still "regulated."

Another analyst, Napa J Awat, said Warsito is not truly rooted in the region and this will have implications when he assumes the governorship later.

The 100 demonstrators outside the legislature failed to occupy the building and they subsequently dispersed peacefully after yelling out their demands. (emb)