City Council quiet after gubernatorial election
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The City Council was silent on Thursday, one day after Governor Sutiyoso was controversially elected for a second term with 47 of 84 votes.
The scene on Thursday was in stark contrast to the events that took place during the election on Wednesday, when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets around City Hall and the City Council building to oppose the election of Sutiyoso.
The demonstration turned ugly when protesters clashed with security officers, leaving dozens of people injured.
Most members of the election committee failed to show up at the City Council building on Thursday, which was the first day of a three-day public screening period, when the public is given the opportunity to voice their opinions about the governor-elect and his deputy.
Some councillors reportedly were in their offices early in the morning, but they did not stay for long.
"Bapak was here but then he got out. I don't know where," a female employee of the United Development Party (PPP) told reporters when asked about election committee member A.R. Hamidi.
"I also don't know where any of the other councillors are. They did not notify me that they will not be coming into the office," she added.
Among the councillors who reportedly made brief appearances at the City Council on Thursday were Tubagus Abbas Saleh Ma'mun and HAH Ishak of the National Awakening Party (PKB), and Amarullah Asbah of the Golkar Party.
This was also true at the offices of other party factions, including the Justice Party (PK) and the Star and Crescent Party (PBB) factions.
The office of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Justice (PDI Perjuangan), which was the major force behind Sutiyoso's reelection, was dark with all the lights turned off by staffers.
There were only three staffers at the office, which is usually packed with party members.
A day before the election, almost all of the councillors from the PDI Perjuangan and Golkar had checked into the five-star Borobudur Hotel.
A group of protesters distributed on Wednesday a "blacklist" of PDI Perjuangan councillors, accusing them of accepting bribes from Sutiyoso. The list contained the addresses and phone numbers of the councillors.
Fearing possible attacks by anti-Sutiyoso protesters, which failed to materialize, the faction requested special police protection for its members.
Also on the list were several members of the Golkar Party and the PPP, as well as the only member of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), Posman Siahaan.
The demonstration on Wednesday caused some Rp 100 million (US$11,235) in damages, including damage to three vehicles and the fences surrounding the City Council building, according to a report by the city administration.
The vehicles were a Volvo sedan owned by Vice Presidential Secretary Prijono Tjiptoherijanto, a Daihatsu Espass minibus and a fire truck from the City Fire Agency.
The gates and some windows of the City Revenue Agency building, located west of the City Council on Jl. Kebon Sirih, were damaged during the melee, while some 600 meters of shrubs and plants and a decorative street lamp were damaged. The city began cleaning up the damage on Thursday.
Two police armored vehicles equipped with water cannons were still in the City Council parking lot on Thursday, and two police trucks were parked on Jl. Kebon Sirih.
Police officers will be deployed in the area until Sunday, although their numbers have been reduced to some 200 officers from the Central Jakarta Police.
Meanwhile, the City Hall complex, which is located behind the City Council building, was also quieter than usual on Thursday, although city administration spokesman Muhayat said it was business as usual.