Stop evictions or we reject accountability speech: Roy<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) will
\nwithdraw its support of Governor Sutiyoso if he continues to
\nconduct wide-scale evictions in the city.<\/p>\n
"If Sutiyoso does not stop these excessive evictions we (PDI
\nPerjuangan central board) will order our faction in the City
\nCouncil to reject his accountability speech," said the party's
\ncentral board executive Roy BB Janis, as quoted by Antara as
\nsaying, on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Roy said that the evictions have made the lives of thousands
\nof people miserable, particularly as they face the onset of the
\nrainy season and the Muslim fasting month.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri threw her
\nweight behind Sutiyoso in the gubernatorial elections in
\nSeptember last year. Megawati's support of Sutiyoso was owed to
\nhis alleged ability to secure capital for next year's general
\nelections.<\/p>\n
The chairwoman of the party's Jakarta chapter, Sumiyati
\nSoekarno, said earlier that the impact of the evictions could see
\nthe party standing to lose around 80,000 votes.<\/p>\n
Roy also criticized the poor performance of Sutiyoso's
\nadministration in managing the 2003 Rp 11.5 trillion (US$1.35
\nbillion) city budget. He said that the budget, which is the
\nlargest among other regions, should have been directed at
\nimproving social welfare.<\/p>\n
The administration has only spent around 25 percent of the
\ncity budget in the first semester.<\/p>\n
Councillor Mardjuan Bakri from the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) took a different stance, saying that there had not been any
\nproblems with the methods used to evict residents so far.<\/p>\n
"The evictions have been conducted in line with city
\nregulations," the member of the City Council commission A on
\ngovernmental institutions told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The commission plans to summon officers from the city's five
\nmunicipalities and the public order agency to seek clarification
\ndue to the mounting public criticism over the violence sparked by
\nthe evictions.<\/p>\n
Mardjuan said that he had contacted West Jakarta Mayor Sarimun
\nHadisaputra to gather information relating to evictions carried
\nout within the municipality.<\/p>\n
"He (Sarimun) said that his office had warned the illegal
\nsquatters three times before commencing the evictions," he said.<\/p>\n
Several mass-evictions in the city have resulted in violence
\nbetween residents and public order officers, injuring dozens from
\nboth sides. The eviction of residents in Cengkareng, West Jakarta
\nresulted in a man being killed and a teenage girl, sexually
\nabused.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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