Council speaker reelected despite fervent protest

JAKARTA (JP): Maj. Gen. Edy Waluyo from the military faction was reelected on Monday as the City Council's speaker in a plenary session which was marked with protests from dozens of supporters from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- Perjuangan).

Edy secured 40 votes while his three rivals: Djafar Badjeber from the United Development Party, Tarmidi Suhardjo from the PDI- Perjuangan and M. Suwardi from the National Mandate Party (PAN) got 30 votes, nine votes and zero vote respectively.

Five votes were invalid.

Djafar, Tarmidi and Suwardi will automatically become Edy's deputy speakers.

According to the council's internal rule, four biggest factions in the council have the right to nominate their councilors as the council's leaders.

PDI-Perjuangan have 30 seats in the council, PPP and PAN have 13 seats respectively while the military faction have nine seats.

Upon seeing the small votes secured by Tarmidi, dozens of PDI- Perjuangan's supporters approached the party's councilors and yelled at them.

"You are traitors. People's cheaters," A. Mas'ud Tamsidi who claimed himself as the party's Senen district chapter coordinator, shouted emotionally.

Mas'ud pledged to deploy his supporters on Tuesday to the city council to demand the reelection of the council's speakers.

The party's Tugu Selatan chapter head Abdul Malik was very upset with the result of the election, saying that he would ask the party's councilors' responsibility.

Tarmidi left the council's building under a tight security since the supporters still tried to approach him to deliver their dissatisfaction.

The party's Jakarta chapter chairman Roy B.B. Janis who attended the plenary session as a guest refused to give his comments over the vote results.

The session which was scheduled to be opened at 10 a.m. was adjourned in one hour since councilors from PDI-Perjuangan came late.

The council's provisional leader Supangat then gave a chance for leaders of the council's 11 factions to discuss the election of the council's four leaders.

The election was then conducted in one man one vote and secret system according to the internal rule since the factions could not reach agreement to choose speaker without voting.

Councilor Abdul Aziz Matnur from the Justice Party claimed satisfied although his candidate Djafar, who was nominated by the Axis force (Poros Tengah), lost.

"It showed that we are solid. We are consistent with the reform movement by not giving our votes to Edy Waluyo," Aziz said.

Asked to comment on PDI-Perjuangan's move which gave 21 of their votes to Edy, Aziz said that public now could evaluate the real parties that truly support the people's reform movement.

However, he said that he accepted the result, saying that it was conducted in democratic way.

He said the Axis forces in the council consist of five parties: PAN, PPP, Justice Party, and the national Awakening Party (PKB) and the Crescent and Stars Party (PBB).

Djafar from PPP also accepted the result and respected the reelection of the 54-year-old military general as the council's speaker for another five-year term. (jun)