Venue of Sutiyoso's inauguration undecided<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto and Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Fearful of massive demonstrations, the organizers of the
\ninauguration ceremony for the city governor and deputy governor
\nhad yet to decide on Sunday on a venue for the ceremony that is
\ndue to take place on Monday.<\/p>\n
City Council secretary Moerdiman said the organizers had
\nprepared two venues for the event: the City Council building on
\nJl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, and the Jakarta Fair Ground
\n(PRJ) in Kemayoran, also in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"On the invitations, we stated that the venue would be the
\nCity Council building, but we have also prepared the PRJ as an
\nalternative venue if the event cannot be held in the City Council
\nbuilding (due to security threats),\" Moerdiman told The Jakarta
\nPost on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said that he was ready for wherever his inauguration
\nwould take place. \"Like making films, we (Sutiyoso himself and
\nFauzi Bowo) are only players. And the City Council is the
\ndirector. We just follow the director's instructions as to where
\nit will take place,\" he told the press after attending a
\nrehearsal for the installation ceremony on Sunday afternoon at
\nthe PRJ.<\/p>\n
\"The installation ceremony can be held anywhere as this is not
\nagainst the prevailing regulations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the city police began to strengthen security at the
\nCity Council building on Sunday in anticipation of demonstrations
\nduring Monday's inauguration ceremony.<\/p>\n
Razor wire has been strung up along the front fence of the
\nbuilding. Two water cannons and hundreds of police officers have
\nalso been deployed.<\/p>\n
Moerdiman said the organizers had also prepared a number of
\nhelicopters to ferry the governor and deputy governor-elect,
\nSutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo, as well as other guests to the ceremony.<\/p>\n
On election day, Sept. 11, the police used helicopters to
\ntransport councillors and Sutiyoso to the City Council building
\nas all the gates to City Hall and the City Council building were
\nblocked by around 20,000 demonstrators.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Edmond Ilyas, who is
\nthe head of the security task force for the ceremony, said on
\nSunday that his men had boosted security both at the City Council
\nbuilding and the PRJ.<\/p>\n
Edmond, however, refused to reveal the number of officers to
\nbe deployed to guard the event, saying this would depend on
\ndevelopments in the field.<\/p>\n
Moerdiman said the organizers had circulated some 1,000
\ninvitations to, among others, the 85 members of the City Council,
\nofficials, leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
\npublic figures and foreign diplomats.<\/p>\n
A number of student organizations, the People's Democratic
\nParty (PRD), and many NGOs, including the Islamic Defenders'
\nFront, the Jakarta Residents' Forum (Fakta), Urban Poor
\nConsortium (UPC), and the Betawi People's association (POB), have
\nsaid they would stage demonstrations on Monday.<\/p>\n
They threatened to occupy the council building to foil the
\ninauguration ceremony.<\/p>\n
PRD supporters, who rallied against Sutiyoso on Saturday, were
\ninvolved in a clash with police in front of the council building
\nafter they tore down and burned pro-Sutiyoso banners and posters.<\/p>\n
Two PRD supporters were arrested and taken to the Central
\nJakarta police station for questioning.<\/p>\n
UPC chairwoman Wardah Hafidz said that the confusion on the
\npart of the organizers over the venue for the ceremony showed
\nthat Sutiyoso and Fauzi were not the choice of the Jakarta people
\nalthough they had been officially elected by the City Council.<\/p>\n
\"The governor's inauguration day should be a joyful event for
\nall citizens. But, why are they so busy seeking out a safe place?
\nIt shows the pair are not credible in the eyes of the public,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
A full rehearsal for the inauguration was conducted in Hall B
\nof the PRJ on Sunday, and was attended by Sutiyoso and Fauzi.<\/p>\n
Moerdiman said the inauguration could be conducted outside the
\nCity Council building, and did not necessarily have to take place
\nbefore a council plenary session.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, a quorum of City Council members is not required
\nfor the inauguration,\" said Moerdiman, adding that the
\ninauguration would be presided over by Minister of Home Affairs
\nHari Sabarno on behalf of President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, councillor Abdul Aziz Matnur of the Justice Party
\nsaid that councillors from his faction would not attend the
\ninauguration ceremony as the City Council had not responded to
\npublic complaints about irregularities during the election.<\/p>\n
Aziz said a number of councillors from the National Mandate
\nParty (PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB), who also disagreed
\nwith the election result, would follow his party's move.<\/p>\n
Aziz reported the irregularities, including the marking of
\nballot papers and alleged money politics, to the city police, but
\nso far the police response had been unsatisfactory, he said.<\/p>",
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