Warsito picked as governor candidate
Warsito picked as governor candidate
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. placed
his own candidate in prime position to take the governorship of
Central Kalimantan by crossing the most popular indigenous
contestant from the list yesterday.
Yogie nominated Warsito Rasman, the ministry's director
general of public administration and regional autonomy and
currently acting governor of Central Kalimantan.
The minister also allowed two more of the five candidates
proposed by the Central Kalimantan legislature to remain in
contention. They are E. Gerson and Donis N. Singaraca.
Scrapped from the list were Asmawi Agani, who had the most
support from the legislature in the preliminary election, and
Abdullah Zainie, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)
from the province.
The provincial legislature will select one of the three
government-endorsed nominees in a plenary session on June 22.
Yogie's insistence on placing Warsito on the candidacy list
has from the beginning drawn storms of protest from a Central
Kalimantan public who want an indigenous figure as their
governor.
Local community leaders, who protested against Yogie's policy
at the House last week, have threatened to disrupt the election
of a non-indigenous governor.
Warsito, who hails from Java, also secured support from the
central executive board of the powerful government-backed Golkar
political machine.
"I take the names (of the candidates) from the local
legislature not from customary organizations or something," he
said, repeating his standard argument.
When swearing in Warsito as acting governor in January, Yogie
promised the Central Kalimantan public that the director general
would not run in the election.
Yesterday, he promised that the central government would
always try to "give the best for the people."
Yogie has appointed Soedardjat Nataatmadja, the ministry's
secretary general, to supervise the forthcoming election.
Soedardjat has been assigned to supervise the process of the
selection of the gubernatorial candidates.
"His task will be to see if the upcoming vote proceeds legally
and orderly," spokesman for the ministry of home affairs HSA
Yusacc said as quoted by Antara.
Under normal circumstances, the task is assigned to the
director general of public administration and regional autonomy.
Recently, Soedardjat promised that the election would proceed
smoothly and legally because all the candidates had been elected
by the legislature.(pan)