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.