More councillors sought to reject Sutiyoso's speech

More councillors sought to reject Sutiyoso's speech

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The number of city councillors who have rejected Governor
Sutiyoso's accountability speech increased on Friday, but it
still falls short of the required figure to win the battle.

At least 38 councillors from the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the National Mandate Party (PAN),
the United Development Party (PPP), the Justice Party, the
National Awakening Party (PKB), the Crescent And Star Party (PBB)
and the United Party will likely reject the accountability
speech.

But in order to win, the number needs to reach more than half
of Jakarta's 84 councillors.

Councillor Ugiek Soegihardjo of PDI Perjuangan claimed that at
least nine of his party's 30 councillors had stated they would
reject the accountability speech.

"The number will increase. We will continue to influence our
friends to reject the accountability speech," Ugiek told
reporters at the City Council on Friday.

He said the rejection was based on the administration's poor
performance, particularly its inability to stamp out corruption
and collusion.

Beside himself, Ugiek claimed the remaining eight councillors
were the party's city chapter chairman, Tarmidi Suhardjo, Tarmidi
Edy Suwarno, Sumiyati Sukarno, Ajarta Sebayang, Dadang Hamdani,
Stefanus Surahmat, Gatot Setiabudi and Sofyan Sauri.

PAN's faction chairman, Nazamuddin, stated firmly his party
would reject Sutiyoso's accountability speech as the city
administration had failed to perform well

"We will be consistent and reject his accountability speech,"
councillor Nazamuddin said.

Besides PAN, which has 13 councillors, half of PPP's 12
councillors, the Justice Party's four councillors, PKB's three
councillors, the Crescent and Star Party's two councillors and
the United Party's one councillor will also reject the
accountability speech.

PPP's faction chairman, Chudlary Syafei Hadzami, stated
earlier that his faction would support PDI Perjuangan's
nomination of Sutiyoso.

Chudlary, who was the council's deputy chairman, claimed his
faction decided to nominate himself as a vice governor to
accompany Sutiyoso.

But six PPP councillors disagreed with Chudlary's decision,
and they decided earlier to reject Sutiyoso.

Sutiyoso's support is predicted to come from 21 PDI Perjuangan
councillors, nine councillors of the Indonesian Military
(TNI)/Police faction, eight councillors from Golkar Party, six
councillors from PPP, and three councillors from several small
parties.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also chairman of PDI
Perjuangan, had earlier issued a directive for PDI Perjuangan
councillors to support Sutiyoso's nomination and had threatened
to take action against those who would not.

The directive has upset some members, including councillor
Sumiyati because the party's city chapter had earlier nominated
Tarmidi Suhardjo as a candidate in the next gubernatorial
election on Sept. 17.

Sumiyati admitted her rejection of the accountability speech
was related to the nomination.

"It will be a kind of protest vote by our grass-rooted
supporters who nominated Tarmidi and rejected Sutiyoso," Sumiyati
said.

She added she was ready to face any punishment meted out by
the party's central board for rejecting Sutiyoso's nomination.

Supporters of the party have rejected Sutiyoso, who was
Jakarta's former military commander, for his alleged involvement
in the bloody attack on the party's headquarters in Central
Jakarta on July 27, 1996.