West Java names two gubernatorial candidates

West Java names two gubernatorial candidates

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java

The West Java provincial legislative council will likely nominate
two gubernatorial candidates proposed by major factions after the
minority factions' candidate was rejected on Monday.

The gubernatorial election committee at a plenary meeting in
Bandung, the capital of West Java province, decided to accept the
nominations of Tayo Tarmadi and Danny Setiawan to contest the
upcoming gubernatorial election.

Tayo, a retired Army major general and a legislator
representing the Indonesian Military in the House of
Representatives, was nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the National Awakening Party
(PKB) factions. These two factions also nominated West Java PDI
Perjuangan chapter chairman Rudy Harsya Tanaya as their candidate
for deputy governor.

Meanwhile Golkar, which entered into a coalition with the
United Development Party (PPP), nominated Danny Setiawan, the
secretary of the Golkar chapter in the province, as its
gubernatorial candidate and Nu'man Abdul Hakim as its candidate
for deputy governor.

The military/police faction nominated no candidates so as to
ostensibly maintain their neutrality while the candidates for
governor and deputy governor proposed by the combined faction
(Abdi) were rejected because the official letter proposing their
candidacies was not signed by the faction chairman and secretary.

Eka Santosa, chairman of the gubernatorial election committee,
said the provincial legislative council would now confirm the two
gubernatorial nominations as definitive candidates after approval
from Jakarta.

"According to our schedule, the two candidates are scheduled
to detail their vision, mission and programs before the
councillors on April 23," he explained.

The names of all the candidates would be submitted to the
Ministry of Home Affairs for approval.

Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters of the combined faction
staged a demonstration at the provincial legislature to protest
the gubernatorial election committee's rejection of their
candidates.

The demonstrators dispersed peacefully after dozens of
security personnel arrived at the scene.

Last week, the Sundanese People's Forum (Formmas) built a
stage in front of the council building, promising to protest over
the election process.

According to them, the gubernatorial election should be
stopped or delayed, as only rich candidates could participate in
it. That, they said, would almost certainly lead to bribery among
the council members.

The gubernatorial race is West Java's first under the regional
autonomy law, which was implemented in 2001.

Under the law, regions could elect their own governors,
regents and mayors as part of granting them greater authority to
manage their own affairs.

Previously, the central government always appointed a governor
with a military background for West Java, considering the
province as a backbone to security in Jakarta.

Many councillors now said they would like to see a civilian
governor take the post.