GOI--IN JAVANESE CONFLICT AVOIDANCE MODE--EXTENDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001881 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2017 TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL ID SUBJECT: GOI--IN JAVANESE CONFLICT AVOIDANCE MODE--EXTENDS SULTAN'S TERM AS YOGYAKARTA GOVERNOR REF: A. (07) JAKARTA 2474 ¶B. (07) JAKARTA 2329 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L .Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: President Yudhoyono has signed a decree extending the term of the Sultan of Yogyakarta as governor by three years. The term otherwise would have expired on October 9. At the heart of the debate, is the fate of Yogyakarta as a special administrative district and historic Sultanate. In extending the term, the GOI was in pure Javanese conflict avoidance mode, clearly bowing to pressure not to end the term of a popular governor who is also a candidate for president. END SUMMARY. THREE MORE YEARS ¶2. (SBU) After some debate, the GOI has decided to extend the term of Yogyakarta's governor. Based on existing regulations, Sultan Hamengkubuwono's term as Governor of the Special Regional Province of Yogyakarta would have officially ended on October 8. Immediately following an October 7 meeting with the Sultan, however, President Yudhoyono signed a decree extending the Sultan's term in office by three years, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto announced. (Note: For historical reasons, Yogyakarta is officially a Sultanate--the only one so recognized in Indonesia--and the Sultan's family has special rights, including the right to serve as governor in renewable terms. The region--which is located in central Java--has about four million residents.) A SULTAN OF THE PEOPLE ¶3. (SBU) The Sultan is a popular figure and his subjects pressed hard for the renewal of his term. Large crowds demonstrated peacefully on October 6, demanding that the Sultan and his Deputy, Paku Alam IX, remain in office. Although neither the Sultan nor his Deputy were there, protesters symbolically installed them in office in a mock ceremony. Local political leaders urged that the Yogyakarta governor and deputy governor positions remain with the current royal families and that they be appointed for life. YOGYAKARTA -- SPECIAL, OR JUST ANOTHER PROVINCE? ¶4. (SBU) The debate of what to do about Yogyakarta is not going away. A bill currently being deliberated by the Parliament would alter the governance of Yogyakarta, making it more like other provinces. A current national law enacted in 1950 dictates that the Sultan serve--as mentioned--as governor for renewable terms (ref A). The proposed legislation, if passed, would stipulate that Yogyakarta be governed by elected officials (like everywhere else) but retain a measure of power within the system for the Sultan and Paku Alam. It would, for example, give the Sultan virtual veto power over gubernatorial candidates and control over local land and cultural practices, and he could run for governor. It is not clear when this bill might be acted on. CONFLICT AVOIDANCE ¶5. (C) According to some observers, legislative efforts to make the situation in Yogyakarta more democratic by electing the governor, for example, fits in better with the ethos of the new democratic Indonesia. The government seemed to favor that approach initially. That said, in extending the term, the GOI was in Javanese conflict avoidance mode, clearly bowing to pressure from Yogjakarta not to hamstring a popular governor who is also a candidate for president. Although quite popular at the local level, the Sultan--who by most standards is not particularly charismatic--has not climbed in the polls as a presidential candidate. HUME