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.