Councillors receive death threats for backing Mardiyanto

Councillors receive death threats for backing Mardiyanto

Suherdjoko and A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Semarang/Jakarta

Councillors from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) who voted for incumbent Central Java Governor
Mardiyanto last week say they have received anonymous death
threats.

Gatot Luprijatomo, one of the councillors, said on Saturday
that at least 12 PDI Perjuangan members of the provincial
legislative council had received death threats via SMS.

He said he believed the person or persons making the threats
were supporters of Mardijo, who lost the gubernatorial election
on Thursday to Mardiyanto.

Mardijo had been dismissed by PDI Perjuangan chairwoman
Megawati Soekarnoputri as Central Java party leader ahead of the
election.

"It is really not just an idle threat. It is very serious. One
of my colleagues took his family and fled their home," Gatot said
in Semarang, Central Java.

The death threats have moved a number of the PDI Perjuangan
councillors to move to the Riyadi Palace Hotel in the Central
Java city of Surakarta for safety reasons.

"Security forces have to protect us. Not only are our lives in
danger, but the lives of our families as well. I did not expect
PDI Perjuangan members to be so disappointment that they would
make these kinds of threats," Gatot said.

Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said his
officers would protect the councillors.

"Without request, we will provide protection for any members
of the community," he said.

Those councillors who have received threats include Slamet
Wiryoatmojo, Toriq Ibnu Hasan, Bambang Haryanto Baharudin, Wahono
Ilyas, Agus Sentot, Sobri, Prawoto and Domo Prasojo.

Hours after Mardiyanto -- a former Central Java military
commander who secured Megawati's support for his reelection bid
-- defeated Mardijo, the latter's supporters showed their
frustration by burning pictures of the President.

The protesters slammed Megawati for what they called her
authoritarianism in attempting to block the candidacy of her own
party member, and instead backing a retired Army general for
governor.

Many of the 33 PDI Perjuangan councillors had promised to vote
for Mardijo, but eventually shifted allegiance to Mardiyanto.

Visiting National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said
officers were investigating whether the demonstrators set ablaze
photos of Megawati in her capacity as President or chairwoman of
PDI Perjuangan.

"If those burned and damaged pictures were of Megawati as
President, we will investigate the perpetrators. But if the
burned photos were of her as the party leader, we will only
investigate if a complaint is filed," he said in Semarang on
Saturday.

Several activists were jailed for burning photos of Megawati
during recent antigovernment rallies.

Megawati has come under fire for removing dozens of PDI
Perjuangan leaders from across the country who were sharply
critical of her policies, many of them related to gubernatorial
elections.

Critics accuse Megawati of emulating former strongman
Soeharto's authoritarian style of leadership.

Apart from Mardijo, she also dismissed key PDI Perjuangan
leaders in Jakarta and Lampung for refusing to support the
reelection bids of governors Sutiyoso and Oemarsono,
respectively.

In an attempt to stem growing opposition from within PDI
Perjuangan to her leadership, Megawati is scheduled to hold a
meeting on Tuesday with provincial party leaders.

"The meeting will be held in Jakarta. The chairwoman and all
of the central board members of the party will attend the
meeting," Roy B.B. Janis, a deputy chairman of PDI Perjuangan,
told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

He said the meeting would discuss solutions to an internal
rift between the party's central and regional boards.