Nur Mahmudi takes oath amid Councillors’ boycott

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Nur Mahmudi Ismail was sworn in Wednesday as mayor of Depok, beginning his second term in office.

But in an event that would not bode well for his administration, only 12 members of Depok Council attended the swearing in ceremony.

The members were from the PKS and the National Mandate Party (PAN), two parties that nominated him in last year’s mayoral election.

West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, also a PKS politician, who led the ceremony, said that he saw no problems in installing Nur Mahmudi as mayor of Depok and Idris Abdul Shomad as his deputy, even without the attendance from majority members of Depok council.

“Their absence will not have any legal consequences. I took his oath on behalf of the President,” Heryawan said.

Nur Mahmudi also made no bones about the council members’ absence. “My status has been upheld by an existing regulation and it has nothing to do with their attendance. Beside, this is a special council session,” Nur Mahmudi told reporters after the ceremony.

He also assured that he would govern effectively in spite of lacking political support from majority members of the Depok council.

The Depok Police deployed 400 officers to secure the event, anticipating potential clashes between supporters of the politicians.

In October last year, Nur Mahmudi was declared winner of Depok’s municipality election after garnering 41 percent of the vote.

Nur Mahmudi and Idris, who were backed by the PKS and PAN won 227,744 votes, according to the Depok Election Commission.

Former deputy mayor Badrul Kamal and Supriyanto secured second place with 149,168 votes (26.84 percent). The ticket was nominated by the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP).

The losing ticket has filed a suit to the Constitutional Court, alleging Nur Mahmudi of trying to rig the vote. The court dismissed the allegation saying that it was unsubstantiated. In his first term, Nur Mahmudi was criticized for rolling out policies that were seen by many as pursuing an Islamist agenda. In 2008, he championed a bylaw to ban alcoholic beverages in Depok.

During his campaign for re-election last year, Nur Mahmudi urged residents to eat and drink only with their right hands and banned karaoke from some campaign events, prompting fears that the city might veer toward sharia law. The mayor previously established several goals for the city, including installing eminent religious figures, establishing IT-based public services and achieving economic independence.