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)