Megawati kills democracy: Experts

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Political experts criticized chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri dubbing her a "democracy killer" for defying her party's aspirations by supporting the reelection of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso.

"She has not only reduced (the meaning of democracy), she has even killed democracy," political observer J. Kristiadi of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said at a discussion at the City Council on Thursday.

PDI Perjuangan's central board announced on Tuesday that the party favored Sutiyoso as the governor was considered capable of providing security during the 2004 General Election and the General Assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly in 2005.

Two weeks before the announcement, Megawati had instructed the party's city councillors to nominate Sutiyoso, rejecting the party's own candidates.

Kristiadi viewed Megawati's endorsement as undemocratic since it defied the aspirations of her party's city branches, which earlier nominated 11 gubernatorial candidates, not including Sutiyoso, in its earlier meeting here.

He said Megawati had repeated the same mistakes committed by the past regime of former authoritarian Soeharto by endorsing Sutiyoso, who is a former Jakarta military commander.

"Her acting against the grass roots aspirations will weaken support for her party since their supporters will no longer trust the party," Kristiadi said.

He said the Jakarta election should be more democratic than other provinces and urged the party's councillors and other councillors to reject Megawati's nomination.

Separately, political expert Ikrar Nusa Bhakti said Megawati should remember that Sutiyoso was implicated in the bloody attack at her party's headquarters on July 27, 1996.

"Megawati and her party seem to have forgotten the case for the reasons of political expediency. It could become a boomerang for her party," Ikrar of the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) was quoted by Detikcom online news as saying.

In his opinion Megawati was practicing the ways of the New Order regime of Soeharto in nominating a military figure for Jakarta governor citing security reasons.

Megawati's support for Sutiyoso is controversial as the party's city chapters earlier proposed 11 other candidates in its earlier meeting here.

Her actions have been deplored by party members and she has been called a traitor by victims of the July 27 tragedy for nominating Sutiyoso. At least five supporters were killed after the attack, which was followed by massive riots in the areas around the party headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta in 1996.

The party's Jakarta chapter chairman Tarmidi Suhardjo, who was nominated by the party's branches, pledged to continue his candidacy although Megawati has nominated Sutiyoso.

"I'm ready to be "slapped" by Megawati and even kicked out of the party," Tarmidi, who is also the City Council's deputy chairman, said earlier.

But the former deputy chairman of the party's central board, Suparlan, who is also a member of the House of Representatives, supported Megawati's decision.

"We (our cadres) have no capability to become a governor or, even, a City Council chairman. We should be realistic," Suparlan said.

Separately, the Association of Indonesian Provincial Legislative Bodies plan to issue a statement rejecting Megawati's intervention in the election, the association chairman Edy Waluyo said on Thursday.

"The Jakarta delegation will propose an agenda to discuss the central government's intervention in the gubernatorial election," Edy, who is also chairman of the City Council, told reporters.

Accompanied by West Sumatra Legislative Council chairman Arwan Kasri, Edy, who earlier registered himself as a candidate, revealed the association would hold a two-day national meeting in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka-Belitung province, starting on Friday.

Arwan Kasri, who is also the association's coordinator for Sumatra, supported Edy's statement, saying the gubernatorial election was under the authority of the City Council.

"We councillors in West Sumatra reject the intervention. It's the right of the provincial legislative body," said Arwan of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

The fate of the Jakarta gubernatorial election, which will be held on Sept. 17, will be in the hands of 84 councillors, 30 of which come from PDI Perjuangan, 13 from PAN, 12 from the United Development Party, nine from the Indonesian Military (TNI)/National Police faction and eight from the Golkar party. The rest belong to several minor parties.