"We are optimistic that Mr. Nova Iriansyah, to be officially inaugurated as Aceh's definitive governor on Thursday, would work hard to make the Acehnese people prosperous," Keumangan told ANTARA here on Wednesday evening.
Within the remaining two years of his gubernatorial term, hopes are pinned high on Governor Iriansyah being able to bolster Aceh's economic recovery efforts by optimizing development programs in all prioritized sectors.
To this end, Keumangan emphasized the need for Governor Iriansyah to optimize the utilization of the provincial government's budget to revive the economy that has borne a major brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Home Minister Tito Karnavian has received President Joko Widodo's approval to inaugurate Iriansyah as Aceh’s definitive governor on Thursday following Yusuf's dismissal from the gubernatorial post over a corruption case verdict.
Deputy Speaker of Aceh Province's Legislative Assembly (DPRA), Safaruddin, confirmed earlier that the official notification on Iriansyah's swearing-in had been received from the Home Ministry Facilitation for Regional Administration and Legislative Assembly Director Andi Batara Lifu.
Yusuf was officially dismissed from the Aceh governor’s post for the 2017-2022 term after President Joko Widodo issued a decree to discharge him after being convicted in a corruption case for which he was sentenced to a prison term.
Yusuf was found guilty of involvement in a graft case pertaining to the Aceh special autonomous fund (DOKA) for 2018.
The Supreme Court has sentenced Yusuf to seven years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rp300 million or an additional three months in jail.
Yusuf is currently serving jail term at the Sukamiskin correctional facility in Bandung, West Java.
Aceh is Indonesia's westernmost province situated in the northernmost tip of Sumatra Island.
Prior to the signing of a memorandum of understanding sealing the peace between the government of Indonesia and the separatist Free Aceh Movement, in Helsinki, Finland, on August 15, 2005, an armed conflict rattled the province.
With the Helsinki peace deal, the nearly three decades of armed conflict that claimed over 12 thousand lives could have been ended.
Since then, Aceh has borne witness to an improvement in various sectors of life. Related news: Nova Iriansyah inaugurated as Aceh's definitive governor on Nov 5
Related news: President issues decree dismissing Yusuf from Aceh governor's post
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Teuku DI, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
