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T Lapindo Brantas’ latest effort to win public support after triggering a disastrous mudflow in Sidoarjo failed when its top executives were beaten in the regional election.

The company, owned by Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, has been blamed for the mudflow
disaster that has displaced thousands of people in the region since May 2006.

The official election results released by the Sidoarjo General Elections Commission (KPUD) showed that Bambang Prasetyo Widodo and Yuniwati Teryana, both Lapindo Brantas executives who ran for regent, were soundly defeated.

The Saiful Illah-Hadi Sutjipto ticket won the election with 450,586 votes, or 60.46 percent of total votes.

“Saiful and his running mate Hadi will be sworn in as Sidoarjo regent and deputy regent on Oct. 31,” KPUD head Ansori told The Jakarta Post.

One of Saiful’s campaign themes was “Don’t vote for leaders from Lapindo”.

Bambang Prasetyo Widodo, who is a director of a PT Lapindo Brantas subsidiary, came in second with 132,977 votes, or 17.84 percent. Bambang and running mate Khoirul Huda, a Sidoarjo mudflow community group figure, were nominated by the Golkar Party and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P).

Sidoarjo Regent Win Hendrarso’s wife, Emy Susanti, who ran with Khulaim Djunaidi, a Sidoarjo legislator for the 2009-2014 tenure, secured 82,918 votes, or 11.13 percent. They were nominated by the National Mandate Party and Gerindra.

Yuniwati Teryana, a Lapindo Brantas vice president and her running mate — nominated by the Democratic Party — collected 54,593 votes, or 7.32 percent.

They were followed by independent candidates Agung Subali and Samsul Wahid, who won 24,247 votes, or 3.25 percent. Some 1,286,649 people cast votes on the July 27 election.

Regent-elect Saiful vowed secure compensation for mudflow victims.

Abdul Rokhim, a mudflow victim, said none of the candidates had outlined a clear plan to resolve the mudflow issue.

Rokhim said Aburizal Bakrie had supported the campaign of the Lapindo executives to muffle the issue.

“Everyone knows that the two candidates from Lapindo are part of an effort to protect the interests of Aburizal Bakrie in Porong, Sidoarjo,” he said.

A member of Yuniwati’s campaign team, Asip Hasani, said Lapindo Brantas would resolve the compensation issue regardless of the poll results.

Saiful, nominated by the National Awakening Party, the United Development Party, the Peace Prosperity Party and the Justice Prosperity Party, served as deputy regent for the 2005-2010 term.

In July 2005, the Alliance of Independent Journalists reported that Saiful had physically abused a journalist. Saiful has also been accused of fraud and unlawful land seizure during his tenure.