Minority political parties defeated in the recent gubernatorial election have questioned the victory of elected governor, saying he was still in active service in the National Police when he ran for office.
The Bali Awakening Coalition (KKB), an alliance of 12 minority parties which nominated the defeated pair I Gede Winasa and Gusti Bagus Alit Putera, said the provincial poll body should clarify this issue and annul I Made Manoku Pastika's victory until all aspects of his candidacy were known.
"We demand a clarification over this issue because the National Police Law forbids active police personnel from participating in local elections, either as candidates or as voters, in order to maintain neutrality," coalition spokesman Pasek Suardika said last week.
The Bali's People Coalition (KRB) which backed Cokorda Budi Suryawan and I Nyoman Gede Suweta, also delivered a formal letter to the Bali General Elections Commission (KPUD), the central government, the National Police and the national General Elections Commission (KPU) requesting Pastika's status during his candidacy.
"Further steps will be taken after we are given explanations," KRB spokesman Ngurah Eddy Suryaningrat said Monday.
Signed by all supporting political parties in the coalition, including Cokorda, head of the Golkar faction in Bali, the letter also asked the KPUD to annul Pastika's victory for what the parties said was a violation of the 2008 regional administration law.
The Indonesian Democratic Defenders Team (TPDI) last week also filed a lawsuit with the Denpasar District Court against the KPUD and Pastika for the alleged violation.
Pastika's victory was announced on July 16, 2008, but time has run out to question the election's results as the public was given three days to do so following the announcement.
Bali KPUD chairman Anak Agung Gede Oka Wisnumurti regretted the protests and lawsuit, saying all contenders, including the defeated candidates and their campaign teams, signed the election results.
"They should have done it (protested the election results) weeks ago, not now," he said.
Following the announcement of the official results, the KPUD had asked any party objecting to the results to file complaints with the Supreme Court through the local district court.
"We have confirmed with the court that as of July 21, no lawsuit has been filed against the KPUD decision," he said.
Regarding Pastika's status, Wisnumurti said that in the early stages of the election process, the KPUD had received a letter from the National Police which stated the police leadership had given Pastika permission to participate in the election.
He said Pastika had also attached a letter stating he had resigned from the police.
"We have verified this information with the police and no problem existed with his status," he said.
The letter, he added, had met the requirements stipulated by local administration laws.
"Therefore, these last-minute political maneuvers will not affect the political process," he said.
He added that the KPUD on Monday had given the results to the Bali Legislative Council and the council would soon send them on to the Home Ministry.
Bali Legislative Council chairman Ida Bagus Putu Wesnawa said these efforts would not interrupt the rest of the process.
"It is their right to file such protests but it will not influence our decision to install the pair as the new governor and vice governor," he said.
Pastika, former chief of the National Narcotics Agency and also former chief of the Bali Police, is slated to be installed as Bali's new governor on July 28.
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