MAHARDI Efendi smiles a lot now. Before, this member of the West Sumatra Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) from the National Mandate Party was utterly upset. The burden he said was pressing down on him has gone. "I feel very relieved," he told Tempo, Monday last week.

Mahardi got the good news three days before the Lebaran holiday while on his way from his hometown West Pasaman to Padang. His friend in Jakarta sent him a message that on that