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Graft suspect, ex-convict set to win regional elections
Checking it twice: A committee member at a polling station (TPS) in Denpasar, Bali, checks a ballot for the cityâs mayoral election before handing it to a voter during a revote on Sunday
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Checking it twice: A committee member at a polling station (TPS) in Denpasar, Bali, checks a ballot for the cityâs mayoral election before handing it to a voter during a revote on Sunday. The revote was carried out after the local Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) found that six people who were not on the list of eligible voters had cast votes in the election at the TPS on Wednesday.(JP/Zul Trio Anggono) (TPS) in Denpasar, Bali, checks a ballot for the cityâs mayoral election before handing it to a voter during a revote on Sunday. The revote was carried out after the local Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) found that six people who were not on the list of eligible voters had cast votes in the election at the TPS on Wednesday.(JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
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span class="inline inline-center">Checking it twice: A committee member at a polling station (TPS) in Denpasar, Bali, checks a ballot for the city's mayoral election before handing it to a voter during a revote on Sunday. The revote was carried out after the local Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) found that six people who were not on the list of eligible voters had cast votes in the election at the TPS on Wednesday.(JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
Despite their tainted reputations, at least one ex-graft convict and one corruption suspect will likely win local elections in their respective regions as provisional vote counts give them both a comfortable lead.
In Natuna, Riau Islands, data from the local General Elections Commission (KPUD) showed that candidate pair Hamid Rizal and Ngesti Yuni Suprapti, nominated by the Golkar Party, Gerindra and the National Mandate Party (PAN), had secured 16,377 votes out of the 38,437 votes received by the KPUD, or 42.6 percent of the vote, as of Sunday evening.
'Among the four candidate pairs for the local election, the Hamid-Ngesti pair is so far leading in our provisional vote counts. The final results, however, will be made public on Dec. 18,' Natuna KPUD chief Affuandris said on Sunday.
The candidate pair in second place after the interim tally, he added, had secured only 19 percent of the vote.
A home to some 55,000 eligible voters, Natuna, which consists of 154 islands and islets, is located 550 kilometers northeast of Batam, the province's main island. Despite its remote location, the regency is known for its abundance of oil and gas resources.
Prior to competing in the regency's election this year, held on Dec. 9 with 263 other regional head elections, Hamid served as Natuna regent from 2001 to 2006. Ngesti's husband, Daeng Rusnadi, meanwhile, served as Hamid's successor from 2006 to 2011.
In 2010, the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Hamid and Daeng to three years and five years in prison for their involvement in a graft case concerning oil and gas profits in 2004, which caused around Rp 77 billion (US$5.5 million) in state losses.
Meanwhile in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), incumbent Sabu Raijua regent Marthen Dira Tome and running mate Nikodemus Rihi Heke are also leading the provisional vote count despite clouds of suspicion over corruption.
Marthen, who is running as an independent candidate in his re-election bid, has recently been named as suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for alleged involvement in the misappropriation of Rp 59 billion in education funds at the NTT Education and Culture Agency in 2007.
He has pledged to cooperate with law enforcers and support their ongoing investigation.
'Anytime, I will be ready to share information with KPK investigators,' he said.
Riau University political observer Muchid Al Bintani said the victory of graft suspects and ex-convicts in local elections showed that many Indonesian voters were actually ignorant of the ongoing campaign to eradicate corruption.
'It turns out that voters are very pragmatic and did not even consider the candidate's track records.' Muchid said.
Also on Sunday, election organizers in a number of regions, including Bali, Riau and West Sumatra, held re-votes at selected polling stations (TPS) after reports of possible election fraud and other violations taking place.
In Denpasar, the local KPUD held a re-vote at one TPS in Pedungan subdistrict, South Denpasar, following a report that six people, who were not on the list of eligible voters, had cast votes in the city's mayoral election there on Wednesday.
The re-vote, however, was not welcomed enthusiastically as many eligible voters failed to attend, with only 373 out of 631 eligible voters showing up, down from 399 voters who came to the TPS on Wednesday.
Ni Komang Erviani in Denpasar, Syofiardi Bachyul Jb in Padang and Rizal Harahap in Pekanbaru contributed to the article.
