Youth group executives deny proposing Kentot

Youth group executives deny proposing Kentot

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of 11 youth organizations denied
yesterday proposing former Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen.
Kentot Harseno as a Jakarta governor candidate.

A spokesman for the organizations, Bandingan Daulay, said that
they proposed three candidates for governor through the National
Youth Committee city branch (KNPI).

The three were Lt. Gen. A.M. Hendropriyono, Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso
and incumbent Governor Surjadi Soedirdja, said Daulay, who chairs
the Tarbiyah Youth Organization city branch.

"We never said that we were proposing Kentot. We deny the
report," Daulay told reporters yesterday.

He made the remarks after the 11 organizations had been
reported as joining another nine groups in supporting Kentot as
candidate.

Daulay said that his organization would investigate those
involved in giving the false information. "There will be a
special team assigned to investigate the matter," he said.

He said that his organization did not want the report to cause
a negative impact. "We are the ones who are responsible for our
own organization, not them or others with personal interests,"
Daulay said.

"We never made that proposal. If we wanted to propose a new
candidate, we would do it through proper channels, namely through
KNPI," Daulay said.

It was reported that representatives of 20 youth organizations
went to the City Council on Monday and proposed Kentot as
candidate for the city's next governor.

Spokesman of the 20 organizations, M. Taufik, said that Kentot
was proposed as candidate because of his good leadership.

"Kentot deserves to be appointed as the next governor,"
Taufik, of the Mutual Aid Family Conference (MKGR), was quoted by
Media Indonesia daily as saying.

He had urged the council to include Kentot on the list of
proposed governor candidates before input from the public was
closed July 20.

The chairman of MKGR's city branch, Zulfadli Barus, said his
organization knew nothing about the proposed candidacy. The
organization would investigate those involved in the matter, too,
he said.

The chairman of the Christian Student Movement, Richard
Willeri, expressed regret that some people were exploiting Kentot
for their own benefits.

"We're not against him (Kentot), we just reject the statement
which we did not make," Willeri said.

Kentot, who is currently Inspector General of Development,
made headlines after confidential memos he wrote were leaked to
the press in late 1995, accusing Minister of Transportation
Haryanto Dhanutirto of misusing funds belonging to state
enterprises overseen by his ministry. The embezzlement charge was
cleared by President Soeharto.

So far, all three main candidates proposed to the council --
Surjadi, Hendropriyono and Sutiyoso -- have military
backgrounds.

The council will hold a meeting to screen proposed candidates
before consulting Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M.

Surjadi, whose office term ends Oct. 6, filed a letter of
resignation to President Soeharto through the minister in March.
(ste)