D

eputy National Police Chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna has stated that he will not run for the West Java gubernatorial position, instead he will continue to serve in the police until his retirement.

“After istikharah prayer [to help decide], from the bottom of my heart, I decided to stay with the police and withdraw my plan,” the three-star general said on Wednesday.

Nanan’s name was included in a survey, conducted by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of possible candidates in the West Java gubernatorial election.

Other figures that fared well in the surveys were actress-turned-lawmaker Rieke Diah Pitaloka and anti-graft activist Teten Masduki.

Nanan said his decision was not related to the rumors that his name “does not sell” in the race to become the West Java top official.

The election will be held early 2013.