SBY's Statement with The Uproar Addressed to His Administration

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - As many governments around the world have a prime minister, the Yogyakarta special province may soon have a "prime governor".     

The term may sound strange everywhere, let alone for Indonesia. But Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar has said the bill on the status of Yogyakarta says the special province will have a "prime" governor and "prime vice-governor" whose decisions will be carried out by the governor and vice-governor.     

"According to the bill, the governor and vice-governor will have to seek a decision of the prime governor," Minister Akbar told newsmen at parliament house, Tuesday, on the positions of the governor and vice-governor of Yogyakarta, the administrative posts so far assumed automatically by the Sultan of Yogyakarta and the Paku Alam respectively.     

The government is to submit to the House of Representatives a bill on the renewal of the special status of Yogyakarta to replace the old law, he said on the much debated issue on the position of Yogyakarta Sultan, the historical position held by the sultanate since the birth of the nation in 1945 as stipulated in a law on the specialty of the province.     

The debate came up after a statement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a cabinet meeting earlier this month in which he said that the next governor of Yogyakarta would be elected. His statement has created uproar among the people of Yogyakarta.     

"There should not be a monarchy system which contradicts our Constitution or democratic values," the president said, adding that the nation "needs to find a system that represents all considerations, including the special status of Yogyakarta and the implementation of democratic values."     

Akbar emphasized that the term of "specialty" of the province will be in the form of the higher position of the "prime governor" and the "prime vice-governor" because the (elected) governor and (elected) vice-governor will have to seek for decisions to them.

He added that the information received by many of the elements in public had not been clear on how the central government will give the specialty to Yogyakarta. The news reports taken by the public have been prone to being provocative and cornered the government.

The minister said that the specialty of Yogyakarta will be one which is based on a system, comprehensive, strong and solid something provided as the appreciation to the Sultan and the Paku Alam. Minister Akbar stressed that the House of Representatives has not read the bill in its entirety and deeply so that there have been minimum support to the bill.

"This is needed to be known that this is the highest form of appreciation from the government for the specialty of Yogyakarta special province," he pointed out.  The most important thing is, he added, that the specialty of Yogyakarta with its Sultan and Paku Alam will be against the Constitution. The Sultan will only give consent, not consideration.