July 27 victims oppose Sutiyoso

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) rallied in front of City Hall on Wednesday to demand that Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso not be elected for a second term.

The protesters, who burned an effigy of the governor during the action, said Sutiyoso should be barred from a second term because of his alleged role in the bloody attack on the party headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta, on July 27, 1996.

The party was chaired by Megawati Soekarnoputri at the time of the attack, and after she was removed as party chairwoman by the government she formed PDI Perjuangan.

"Sutiyoso is not eligible to contest the election for the next governor because he is responsible for the attack," said A. Fikri, the leader of the July 27 Youth Movement, which reportedly groups hundreds of victims of the attack.

Fikri said Sutiyoso must stand trial and be held accountable for his role in the incident.

Sutiyoso was the Jakarta Military commander at the time of the attack, which claimed the lives of numerous party supporters.

Investigations into the incident have pointed to Sutiyoso's alleged role in the attack, but the case has never gone to court.

Despite this bloody history, PDI Perjuangan city councillor Maringan Pangaribuan earlier said the party would consider nominating Sutiyoso for a second term if he joined PDI Perjuangan.

"We don't even trust our representatives on the City Council. How could they support Sutiyoso? The (PDI Perjuangan) councillors who supported him have sold the party's name," Fikri said angrily.

The protesters said they hoped to discuss their concerns with Megawati later on Wednesday.

In response to the protest, Sutiyoso simply said he had been questioned by the police and prosecutors regarding his alleged involvement in the attack, and would continue to obey all judicial procedures.

"This is nothing new. It (rallies) usually happens before an election," he said.

Ahead of the election of Jakarta's next governor, scheduled to take place in October, 30 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have demanded that Sutiyoso resign over his failure to manage the recent floods in the city, which claimed dozens of lives. The NGOs will represent flood victims in a civil suit they plan to file against Sutiyoso in the Central Jakarta District Court this week.

Other NGOs have urged the City Council to elect a new governor with a civilian background rather than a military one.