Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives (DPR) passed the bill on the administration of Yogyakarta special region into law in a plenary meeting here on Thursday ending dispute over its status.

The meeting led by House Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung Wibowo was attended by home affairs minister Gamawan Fauzi, minister of justice and human rights Amir Syamsuddin and head of the National Land Agency, Hendardji Supandji, representing the government.

Pramono passed the law after all DPR members present at the meeting expressed their agreement.

The chairman of House Commission II dealing with regional autonomy and internal administration affairs, Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa, said in its report on the decision that the governor of the region would originate from the Yogyakarta sultanate now led by Sultan Hamengkubuwono X while the vice governor from the Pakualaman principality now led by Adipati Paku Alam.

He said besides discussing Yogyakarta governorship and vice governorship they had also discussed culture, land, spatial management, by-laws, funding and other issues.

He said there has been a dispute during the discussion of the bill since 2004 especially on whether the governor or vice governor should be elected or named.

The issue however was finally settled in the discussion by the DPR of the 2009-2014 period with a decision that governor and vice governor would be named and not elected.

"The governor would be automatically held by Sultan Hamengku Buwono and vice governor by Paku Alam," he said.

Under the law the governor and vice governor also are not allowed to be party members or board members.

The tenure of present governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and vice governor Paku Alam IX will expire on October 9, 2012 and "so it would be better if the verification process of governorship and vice governorship could be accelerated."

(H-YH/a014)

Editor: Suryanto
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