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Golkar announces candidate for next election

The Golkar Party, which swept the last elections in Papua, announced the nomination of candidates for the gubernatorial election in Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post)
Jayapura
Wed, February 9, 2011

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Golkar announces candidate for next election

T

he Golkar Party, which swept the last elections in Papua, announced the nomination of candidates for the gubernatorial election in Papua.

In its provincial executive meeting in Jayapura on Tuesday, Golkar named party member and Papua Regional Representatives Council Speaker Habel Melkias Suwae as its sole candidate, Imanuel Blegur, the party’s regional coordinator in Papua, said.

Habel, the current Jayapura regent, is seen as fit to lead Papua in the next five years, in part due to his achievement in implementing rural empowerment programs in his last 10 years as regent.

He has the support and consent of party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

The chairman of the Sovereign Party faction in the Council, Weynand Watori, said Papuans were pinning their hopes on a leader capable of improving their welfare.

“For example, a village head who is capable of improving the wellbeing of villagers through development programs deserves to become governor compared to a person who has spectacular ideas for development but is unable to realize them in the community,” he said.

The Papua governor in the next five years, Weynand added, should be one able to change the lives of people and rejecting special autonomy.

“People expect a better life. They want to have enough to eat, to go to school and get a decent education and get access to healthcare, that’s all. They don’t have dreams toll roads or skyscrapers,” he added.

The Papua General Elections Commission has not announced a schedule for the gubernatorial election pending a decision by the Constitutional Court, which is currently hearing a review on a 2008 law on the amendment of the 2001 Special Autonomy Law, especially on articles regulating regional elections.

The 2001 law stipulates that the governor and deputy governor should be elected by the Papua legislature, but the 2008 law was amended to state that the governor and deputy governor should be elected by the people.

“We are still waiting for the decision before we can set a schedule for the election,” Benny Sweni, the head of the Papua General Elections Commission, said.

Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu’s term ends in June this year.

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