Prove it, fire me: Sutiyoso<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso denied on Thursday allegations
\nthat he bribed city councillors Rp 16 billion (US$1.95 million)
\nto ensure his governorship until 2002.<\/p>\n
\"If they can prove it, just fire me,\" he said on the sidelines
\nof a ceremony to mark a cooperation agreement signed between
\nsister cities Jakarta and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso added, \"Money politics (bribes) is an insult to the
\nCity concillors (and) would just ruin my reputation.\"<\/p>\n
The accusation was voiced by some 50 protesters at the City
\nCouncil on Tuesday. They claimed to be friends and relatives of
\nvictims of the violent takeover of the headquarters of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party on July 27, 1996.<\/p>\n
The protesters, who believe that Sutiyoso, then the Jakarta
\nMilitary commander, was involved, say councillors should not let
\nthe governor serve a second term.<\/p>\n
The council is evaluating Sutiyoso's revised accountability
\nspeech, which was rejected by 68 of 84 councillors on July 20, on
\ngrounds of failure to respond on the issue of spending
\nirregularities, among other things. The governor was given 30
\ndays to revise his speech.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, protesters grouped in the Communication Forum for
\nRelatives of the 124 victims of the July 27, 1996, incident urged
\ncouncilors to \"refrain from being the shadow of Governor
\nSutiyoso.\"<\/p>\n
The governor has been summoned as a witness by the city police
\nas part of their investigation into the incident.<\/p>\n
The protesters claim that 124 people died in the incident.
\nOfficial figures have it that five were killed and 23 are
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
One of the councilors allegedly to have received bribes also
\nsaid the allegations were slander. (07)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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