PPP activists sue governor over color war<\/p>\n
SEMARANG (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) kept its
\npromise yesterday to sue Central Java Governor Soewardi for
\nencouraging the public to paint public property yellow to help
\nGolkar win the May general election.<\/p>\n
Party activists in Surakarta (Solo), Sragen, Boyolali, Klaten,
\nSukoharjo and Wonogiri registered their lawsuit with the Semarang
\ndistrict court yesterday.<\/p>\n
Soewardi has been urging people in Central Java to paint their
\nfences and doors and public property such as telegraph poles,
\ntrees and sidewalks yellow.<\/p>\n
Yellow is the color of the dominant Golkar grouping.<\/p>\n
The PPP activists said the governor had failed to remain
\nneutral by helping Golkar's campaign. His policy, they said, had
\nhurt the PPP and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
They are seeking more than Rp 7 billion (US$3 million) in
\ndamages and court costs and have demanded that the court order
\nthe governor to sell his controversial Rp 8 billion mansion that
\nwas built with public money.<\/p>\n
The Moslem-oriented party promised to donate the money for
\ndamages, if it wins the case, to the athletes in the Central Java
\nteam who did not receive the financial rewards they were promised
\nfor their victories at the National Games last September.<\/p>\n
Thoyfoer, the deputy chairman of the PPP provincial branch,
\nsaid he supported the activists. Some say their case will win
\nvoter sympathy.<\/p>\n
"They are demonstrating their social concern. I think common
\npeople will support their cause," he told The Jakarta Post
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
The spokesman for the Semarang district court, Sumartono, said
\nthe court would be impartial even though the governor was the
\ndefendant.<\/p>\n
Governor Soewardi told the Post he was keen to answer the
\naccusations in court.<\/p>\n
"Please feel free to sue me. Everyone in the province who
\nbelieves to be a victim of my policies can," he said. He is yet
\nto appoint defense lawyers.<\/p>\n
The governor's "yellowization" policy met the strongest
\nresistance in the ancient city of Solo. In January, PPP activists
\nrepainted yellow objects in the city white, a supposedly neutral
\ncolor.<\/p>\n
PDI members entered the war last month when they took to the
\nstreets repainting objects red and white, the color of the
\nIndonesian flag.<\/p>\n
More recently, several staff of the Sultan of Solo's family,
\nvoiced objections to the yellowization drive and filed a
\ncomplaint with the mayor of Solo.<\/p>\n
The color war is continuing. Some objects in public places
\nhave changed color six times since January with Golkar activists
\nrepainting objects yellow and PDI and PPP activists repainting
\nthem again.<\/p>\n
Soehardjo, a legal expert at Diponegoro University in
\nSemarang, supported the PPP activists move.<\/p>\n
"There is nothing wrong with people suing the government," he
\nsaid. (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ppp-activists-sue-governor-over-color-war-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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