Sutiyoso: Behind the smile<\/p>\n
Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
When President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrives from India at
\nHalim Perdankusuma Airport on Friday, Jakarta Governor Lt. Gen.
\n(ret.) Sutiyoso will likely be among the first in the row of
\nsenior officials standing near the presidential plane, to
\ncheerfully greet her.<\/p>\n
The President may then have received prior information about
\nthe pitiless beatings of women, and infants by a group of
\nSutiyoso's admirers, from the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) who
\nwere angered by the poor people's protests against their idol.
\nThe thug-looking men used force to disperse a group of protesters
\norganized by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), who intended to
\nconvey their aspirations to the National Commission on Human
\nRights last week.<\/p>\n
It is unlikely that the President would ask the governor about
\nhis fans' brutality. She may not realize either the coincidence
\nthat FBR chairman, Achmad Fadloli El Muhir chairs the Jakarta
\nchapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the party which
\nMegawati's camp split from following the violent assault on her
\nheadquarters on July 27, 1996 -- in which Sutiyoso, then Jakarta
\nmilitary commander, played a role behind the scenes, as he
\nacknowledged to the police in an investigation.<\/p>\n
As governor and former Jakarta military commander, Sutiyoso
\nhas routinely welcomed and seen off four presidents, including
\nSoeharto and Abdurrahman Wahid, when they departed or returned
\nfrom foreign trips, or even when they made a domestic tour. He
\nwas Megawati's broadly smiling host when she visited flood
\nvictims.<\/p>\n
His brilliant approach of courtesy has apparently been quite
\nfruitful; none of the presidents have expressed dissatisfaction
\nof his performance, at least in public.<\/p>\n
Soeharto promoted Sutiyoso as Jakarta governor in October
\n1997, reportedly as an expression of his gratitude for the
\nsuccess in the crackdown on Megawati's headquarters, when she was
\nchairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
A few days after the riots which followed the 1996 attack on
\nthe PDI headquarters, Sutiyoso had said, \"Orders to shoot on the
\nspot will be issued if they (troublemakers) renew their efforts
\nto disrupt peace and order at the expense of the general interest
\nof the public.\" Many of Megawati's supporters were among those
\n\"troublemakers.\"<\/p>\n
Despite Sutiyoso's security assurance the military had
\nbrutally dispersed a free speech forum before the tragedy at PDI
\nheadquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, dozens were
\nkilled.<\/p>\n
The PDI tragedy itself remains a mystery and it seems that
\nMegawati has decided to forget the violence although she knows
\nthat she owes the victims who played a pivotal role in
\nskyrocketing her name to the presidential seat. Her position as
\nchairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) is inseparable from their sacrifice. The victims want
\nher to enforce the law against those who are responsible for
\ntheir misery, including Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, Megawati recently expressed her
\nsatisfaction that she was able to win seven of her total 200
\nlawsuits against Soeharto's government and the military. After
\nthe riots she filed lawsuits across the country's district courts
\nto strive for recognition as PDI leader. As none of her legal
\nvictories were significant, the question now is whether she is
\nsatisfied because she can win less than 3 percent of the
\nlitigations, or because she has been able to reach the country's
\nhighest position?<\/p>\n
Many of the victims have protested Megawati's silence. She
\neven moved the headquarters of her PDI camp, later named PDI
\nPerjuangan, to other places and abandoned the historic office on
\nJl. Diponegoro office.<\/p>\n
As governor, Sutiyoso can neither wash his hands of the impact
\nof the May riots in Jakarta which forced Soeharto to end his 32-
\nyear dictatorship.<\/p>\n
The President may have her own plans regarding the governor,
\nwho will complete his five-year term in October. Sutiyoso clearly
\nstill wants to stay longer as governor. But what he has done for
\nJakarta? He cannot even resolve garbage problems.<\/p>\n
The President must learn from her father Sukarno. Realizing
\nthe chaos of the capital, then president Sukarno appointed Maj.
\nGen. (Marine) Ali Sadikin as governor in 1966. Ali, who held the
\nposition for 11 years, is still regarded as the father of Jakarta
\ndevelopment and its most successful governor despite his iron-
\nfist style.<\/p>\n
After that, all five of Ali's successors came from military.
\nWhile all Soeharto's successors are civilians, isn't it
\nridiculous that the next Jakarta governor still comes from the
\nmilitary?<\/p>\n
The chaotic Jakarta needs a strong leader. Megawati's party,
\nPDI Perjuangan, has the biggest seat in the City Council and
\nwould have the final say on the governorship. But we must also
\nremember that it was the party, despite public protests, which
\nendorsed the reelection of Maj.Gen. Waluyo as City Council
\nspeaker in 1999. Will the party repeat a similar move for
\nSutiyoso?<\/p>\n
When the President shakes hands with the governor at the
\nairport, we hope that she remembers her father's choice to
\nsupport the best possible choice for Jakarta governor.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sutiyoso-behind-the-smile-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}