Welcome Guest   |  Login   |   Signup
JG Logo
Sat, May 26, 2012
Archive Search

Poll Tips Deputy as Next Sidoarjo District Head
Amir Tejo | July 26, 2010

Share This Page
0
0
0
0
Share with google+ :


Post a comment
Please login to post comment

Comments

Be the first to write your opinion!

The incumbent deputy district head of Sidoarjo, East Java, is on course for a landslide victory to take his boss’s job, his backer says. The race also includes two PT Lapindo Brantas executives and the sitting district head’s wife.

Saiful Ilah has secured 1.2 million votes, or 61 percent of the total, in Sunday’s election, according to exit polls conducted by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

He is backed by a coalition that includes the Islamic-based PKS, the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), as well as the Christian-based Prosperous Peace Party (PDS).

“We have volunteers conducting exit polls at all polling stations,” PKS official Aris Sofan Lutfianto said. “Our projection is based on 7.78 percent of voters.”

Saiful is followed by Bambang Prasetyo Widodo, whom the PKS exit poll gives 19.3 percent of the vote, Emy Susanti with 9.2 percent and Yuniwati Teriyani at 7.1 percent.

Emy is the wife of current district head Win Hendarso, who has chosen not to run again. Yuniwati is vice president of communications for gas drilling firm Lapindo, a Bakrie Group company widely accused of causing the mudflow disaster that has swamped wide swathes of the district since 2006.

Bambang is the operational director of Lapindo holding company PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya. His father, Soewandi, served as Sidoarjo head from 1975-85.

Khoirul Huda, the chairman of the Mudflow Victims Association that is pressing Lapindo to compensate residents for the disaster, has since joined Bambang as his running mate.

He previously said the bids by both Lapindo executives were welcome as long as they were based on “honorable intentions.”

Khoirul said that if either Yuniwati or Bambang were elected district head, the issue of compensation for mudflow victims could possibly proceed more smoothly, while more investment opportunities could also open up in the area.

The election proceeded largely without incident, with only three reports of vote-buying and one protest by villagers in Wonoayu subdistrict, who refused to vote because “they never got any money from the candidates,” subdistrict poll supervisor Subandi said.