Council's Tarmidi replaced by Agung

Council's Tarmidi replaced by Agung

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A City Council leadership meeting agreed on Monday to replace
council deputy chairman Tarmidi Suhardjo with councillor Agung
Imam Sumanto, known to be a staunch supporter of recently
reelected Governor Sutiyoso.

City Council deputy chairman Chudlary Syafei Hadzami said the
replacement was made based on a decision of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), to which both
councillors belong.

"According to Law No. 4/1999 on provincial legislatures, the
position of council deputy chairman represents the party. So it
depends on the party to replace them," Chudlary said after the
meeting.

He said the council would soon send a letter to the Ministry
of Home Affairs to approve the replacement of Tarmidi, who failed
in his bid to win the governor's seat in the election on Sept.
11.

Separately, Tarmidi said he was upset the decision to replace
him was made during a meeting at which he was not present.

"I'm still the deputy chairman, appointed by a decree from the
Ministry of Home Affairs. They should respect that," Tarmidi told
reporters.

PDI Perjuangan's central board dismissed Tarmidi as the
party's city chapter chairman last week, for disobeying the
party's order to support Sutiyoso in the gubernatorial election.
It appointed councillor Sumiati Sukarno as acting chairwoman of
the party's city chapter.

The party also sent warning letters to two of its councillors,
Dadang Hamdani and Ugiek Soegihardjo, for the same reason.