The Jakarta Post, September 12, 2006
Inauguration protests planned in West Seram
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Authorities were on high alert in West Seram regency Monday, the day before Maluku
Governor Albert Ralahalu is scheduled to oversee the controversial inauguration of
Jacobus Petileihalat and La Kadir as regent and vice regent, respectively.
Soldiers and police have been deployed in the regency capital Piru to anticipate
possible clashes between supporters and opponents of the regent-elect. Combat
vehicles have been stationed at major intersections in the city.
Hundreds of people held a demonstration Monday in front of the Maluku governor's
office in Ambon to denounce the planned inauguration. Security authorities blocked off
the office and tense words were exchanged with protesters, but no violence was
reported.
Protesters later moved to the nearby Jl. Sultan Hairun, blocking off the street and
causing major traffic jams. Several other protesters attempted to force their way
through the gates surrounding the governor's office, and calm was restored only after
high-ranking officers from the Sirimau Police intervened.
The protesters claim democracy in West Seram has been hijacked. "This is caused
by the fact of a political conspiracy to support a certain candidate to win the West
Seram regency election," claimed Ibrahim Hehanussa, who organized Monday's
action.
Sparking this controversy was the issuance of a letter by the Home Ministry
endorsing the victory of Jacobus Petileihalat and La Kadir in the disputed regency
election.
Opponents of the pair claim the letter is unconstitutional and clear proof that the
political rights of residents have been trampled.
"This is the most fatal mistake the government has ever made, as it has the potential
to spark new security problems," said Ahmat Rahantan, one of the protesters.
Much of the controversy can be traced to confusion over the regulations governing
regency elections, particularly differing interpretations of the 2004 law on local polls.
The first round of voting in West Seram took place June 8, 2006. While there was no
winner in that first round, two pairs of candidates qualified for a second round of polls.
However, before the second round could take place one of the candidates for regent,
Soebeno, was found to have used a fake school diploma and was disqualified from the
election.
The Maluku governor stepped in and offered two options: start the elections all over or
continue into the second round of voting, with the candidate that received the third
most number of votes in the first round replacing Soebeno.
Before a decision was made the Home Ministry issued its letter declaring Jacobus
and La Kadir the new regent and vice regent, despite the fact the pair received less
than 25 percent of the vote.
According to the 2004 law on regency elections, if no candidate receives at least 25
percent of the total vote, the election must be repeated or the top two candidates
must move into a second round of voting.
Adding to the controversy, authorities then announced the 18,382 votes received by
Soebeno would not count in the total vote count. This meant that instead of 80,136
total votes in the first round of the election, there were only 61,754. This raised
Jacobus' percentage of the vote from 23 to 29.88 percent.
"We will occupy this office until the governor sees us and explains the planned
inauguration tomorrow," said an unidentified protester.
Administration bureau chief Angki Rahayaan and Maluku provincial spokesman
Michael Rumadjak attempted to meet with the protesters but were refused.
The protesters also urged the Maluku Legislative Council to call an extraordinary
session and summon the governor to explain the situation.
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