PDIP punishes councillors for not choosing Sutiyoso<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The central board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) has suspended its city chapter
\nchairman, Tarmidi Suhardjo, for not following the party's
\ninstruction to reelect Governor Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, two councillors, Ugiek Sugihardjo and Dadang
\nHamdani, who also failed to follow the party's instruction to
\nreelect Sutiyoso, were given warning letters.<\/p>\n
Separately, the three councillors questioned the party's
\nsanctions as they were not asked to explain their position.<\/p>\n
\"We were never asked to explain why we did not elect
\nSutiyoso,\" Tarmidi said on Friday.<\/p>\n
He said that his decision to run for the gubernatorial
\nelection came when the party's city chapter's meeting nominated
\nhim as a gubernatorial candidate.<\/p>\n
Ugiek supported Tarmidi's statement, saying that the party's
\ncentral board had yet to revoke the results of the city chapter
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
\"We conducted the party's city chapter meeting while the
\nparty's central board support for Sutiyoso was just a
\nrecommendation, which should not be obeyed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Councillor Dadang added that his decision to run for the
\ngubernatorial election was also based on the results of the
\nparty's city chapter meeting.<\/p>\n
\"I was also nominated at the meeting,\" Dadang, who ran as a
\ndeputy gubernatorial candidate, said.<\/p>\n
However, the three councillors said that they would not leave
\nthe party even though they felt they had been treated unfairly.<\/p>\n
The letters were signed by the party's chairwoman, Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, and secretary Sutjipto.<\/p>\n
The party's central board also appointed councillor Sumiati
\nSukarno as the acting chairwoman for the party's city chapter,
\nreplacing Tarmidi.<\/p>\n
President Megawati's support for Sutiyoso was seen as
\ncontroversial because the governor, who was the former Jakarta
\nMilitary commander, is a suspect in the attack on the party's
\nheadquarters on July 27, 1996.<\/p>\n
On voting day, Sept. 11, Sutiyoso and running mate Fauzi Bowo
\nsecured 47 votes, while Tarmidi, whose running mate was Abdillah
\nToha from the National Mandate Party (PAN), secured 13 votes.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan has 30 councillors, while PAN has 13 seats on
\nthe 84-seat council.<\/p>\n
The election was marked with allegations of vote buying, with
\nthe latest confession coming on Thursday from Dadang, who said
\nthat a councillor had received Rp 250 million from Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
Dadang was told by councillor A. Rahman from the United
\nDevelopment Party that he was promised Rp 500 million by
\nSutiyoso's men to accept the governor's accountability speech and
\nto vote for him in the gubernatorial election.<\/p>\n
However, Rahman said he received only Rp 250 million as he
\naccepted the accountability speech, but did not vote for Sutiyoso
\nin the election.<\/p>\n
However Rahman denied the allegation, saying that he was not
\nserious when he told Dadang. \"I was just kidding,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdip-punishes-councillors-for-not-choosing-sutiyoso-1447893297",
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