Erwida Maulia and Yuli Tri Suwarni, Jakarta – In the name of democracy, the government is pushing for direct elections of the Yogyakarta governor, disregarding grievances among those determined to retain the special status of the sultanate.

Stepping out from a Cabinet meeting on Thursday afternoon, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said the head of the local sultanate would be given special privileges, except automatic appointment as governor.

"The Constitution mandates that a governor, as the head of an administration, is elected democratically," Djoko said Thursday at the Presidential Office.

Djoko's statement added to the uproar over the issue, hours after the President attempted damage control with his "clarification". Djoko added that executive leaders were bound by principle of accountability, thus should be elected by the people.

Under the 1965 law granting Yogyakarta its special status, the heads of the royal houses of Hamengkubuwono and Pakualam are appointed directly by the President as governor and vice governor respectively every five years.

The government wants to amend the law and is finalizing a draft to be proposed to the House of Representatives. The move to amend the law began in 2003 through an initiative by the Yogyakarta legislature. The government then proposed a draft amendment to the House, but only to face deadlock in 2007.

The new draft will include a proposal for the establishment of the Parardhya institution to accommodate the interests of the monarchy. Its members will include the heads of the royal houses of Hamengkubuwono and Pakualam, who will be granted special privileges such as immunity and a veto on gubernatorial candidates.

Speaking before Sundanese nobility in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said he himself did not support the institution because privileges could revive the old royal system and also contradicted the Constitution.

"If I was involved in graft, I could not be arrested and tried, and this violates democracy and the Constitution, which guarantees the rule of law," he said. He stressed that the sultanate should have privileges, but refused to comment on the government's plan.

"Stop provoking me... Enough!" the Sultan shouted at reporters in Bandung. He said the public could decide by referendum whether the governor of Yogyakarta should continue to be appointed or be directly elected.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a speech earlier in the day that he wanted the bill to be passed into law before the Sultan's term ended in October 2011.

The Sultan, who has served as Yogyakarta governor since 1998, in 2007 expressed his willingness step down from his post as governor, but decided against it after the President granted him a three-year extension in a bid to buy time for the planned amendment.

Yudhoyono said Thursday the bill on the special status of Yogyakarta was crucial to addressing future problems that may emerge in any leadership succession in the monarchy.

"As head of state and the head of the government, I believe Sultan Hamengkubuwono X remains the best person for governor and leader of Yogyakarta for the next five years," the President said. However, he added, the possibility for direct elections should remain open, pending the outcome of the deliberation of the bill at the House.