Yogie challenges Dayak leaders to sue him

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S. M. yesterday challenged Central Kalimantan community leaders to bring the case of the gubernatorial election there to court.

"Let them go ahead with their law suit," he told reporters.

Yogie, however, advised that the leaders should learn about regulations on how to express disagreement with a government policy.

"They would not have filed the law suit had they known the existing regulations, but instead lodged their complaints with the DPRD (provincial legislative council)," he said.

Five demang, or traditional community leaders, from Central Kalimantan have filed a lawsuit against the minister at the Jakarta Administrative Court. They believe that Yogie's policy to select Warsito Rasman, the ministry director general of public administration and regional autonomy, as the province's governor was legally wrong.

In their suit filed last week, the leaders, who claim to represent 65 other demang throughout the province, said that Yogie's decision runs counter to the law.

According to the leaders, while installing Warsito as the acting governor in January, the minister had said that the man could not be nominated as a candidate for the governorship.

On the contrary, Warsito was picked to be a candidate and then won the election despite protests by local people who preferred a local figure.

In the election, Warsito, who hails from Java, got 39 votes, beating Donis N. Singaraca, former Palangkaraya mayor, and E. Gerson, Central Kalimantan provincial secretary, who only obtained one vote each. Both losers are Kalimantan natives.

Yogie said that the result of the election would be submitted to President Soeharto for endorsement, adding that Soeharto's choice might be announced tomorrow, Antara reported.

The minister declined to mention the candidate to replace Warsito, saying that government officials had sworn not to reveal secrets. (par)