City Council under pressure to remove Governor Sutiyoso

JAKARTA (JP): Pressure mounted on City Council Friday to remove Governor Sutiyoso from his post due to his alleged involvement in the July 27, 1996 forced takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters.

Some 30 members of the Communication Forum of the 124 Victims of the July 27, 1996 Tragedy (FKK 124) staged a protest at the City Council building on Friday, demanding Council Speaker Edy Waluyo keep his promise and remove Sutiyoso over his alleged involvement in the July 1996 tragedy.

"Edy Waluyo told us late last month that the council would remove Sutiyoso from his governorship. But look, they (council members) have not done a thing. Sutiyoso is still the Jakarta governor," FKK spokesman, Agus Edi Setiawan, told reporters.

The protesters, however, failed to meet Edy as he accompanied Sutiyoso to a meeting with Java and Bali governors in Sunter, North Jakarta.

Carrying banners and placards, the protesters walked around the halls of the building voicing their demands until Deputy council speaker Tarmidi Suhardjo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) met them and calmed them down.

"The process (to replace) Sutiyoso is not that easy," Tarmidi told the protesters.

They agreed to leave the city council building after Tarmidi promised them that he would arrange a meeting for them with Edy on Wednesday.

The July 1996 riot broke down after a group of supporters of PDI's splinter faction leader Soerjadi, which was backed by elements in the former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), raided and took over the party headquarters from the supporters of the toppled PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Soerjadi replaced Megawati, who is now Vice President, in a government-sponsored congress in May 1996.

The headquarters takeover triggered mass unrest throughout Central and East Jakarta, resulting in the deaths of at least five people and injuring 149 others. Meanwhile, 23 people are reportedly still missing.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dadang Garnida said on Thursday the police would summon Sutiyoso, along with former Armed Forces chief Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung and former Armed Forces chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Syarwan Hamid, to testify before police investigators over the tragedy on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo vowed in February that the police would take at least three months to complete the investigation of the 1996 tragedy.

They have so far arrested six suspects in the case, including Soerjadi and former PDI executives Buttu R. Hutapea and Alex Widya Siregar. (09)