PDI-P announces incumbent Sutiyoso as main candidate

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ignoring the voice of its grassroots supporters, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction in the City Council officially announced on Wednesday that incumbent Governor Sutiyoso was its candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Faction chairman Agung Imam Soemanto said it was decided that Sutiyoso would be the party's main gubernatorial candidate, while party member Tarmidi Suhardjo was the party's second choice.

Speaking after a faction meeting, Agung said the reason for Sutiyoso's nomination was an order from the party's central board that the faction vote for Sutiyoso.

"There is no other reason. We are only following the recommendation of the central board," Agung said.

He added that even though Military Police chief Maj. Gen. Sulaiman A.B. announced on Tuesday that Sutiyoso was a suspect in the July 27, 1996, attack on the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the party would not change its decision.

Agung said the faction had not yet decided on its candidates for deputy governor, indicating these candidates would be jointly decided on with other factions and the party's gubernatorial candidates.

Two pairs of PDI Perjuangan candidates will be submitted to the gubernatorial election committee on Aug. 2, together with candidates from 10 other factions.

Thousands of party members, including hundreds of victims of July 27, recently held rallies to commemorate the attack and to reject Sutiyoso's nomination.

So far only three factions have publicly excluded Sutiyoso as a possible candidate. They are the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, which has 14 seats in the City Council, the Justice (PK) faction, which has four seats, and the Star and Crescent Party (PBB) faction, which has two seats.

Meanwhile, as the process for selecting candidates draws to an end, the factions have been engaged in horse-trading as they pursue their political interests.

The United Development Party (PPP) faction announced it would only seek to place one of its members in the position of deputy governor, and expressed its readiness to work with any gubernatorial candidate toward that end.

"Our target is the deputy governorship. We are ready to cooperate with any gubernatorial candidate who has the best chance of making our deputy gubernatorial candidate the deputy leader of the city," said the deputy chairman of the PPP faction, Chudlary Syafi'i.

Chudlary said the faction had held talks with the PDI Perjuangan faction about teaming up their candidate with Sutiyoso in the gubernatorial election on Sept. 11.

The PDI Perjuangan faction has 30 seats on the council and the PPP faction has 13 seats.

Chudlary said the faction was also lobbying the Golkar factions (eight seats) and the military and police faction (nine seats).

He said Golkar was only eying two of four positions as assistants to the governor, who will be appointed by whoever is elected governor.

Other short-listed gubernatorial candidates include City Secretary Fauzi Bowo, Deputy Governor for People's Welfare Djailani, City Council chairman Eddy Waluyo and West Nusa Tenggara Governor Harun Al Rasyid.

Fauzi and Tarmidi currently look like the main competition for Sutiyoso, as they seem to have the support of a number of factions, including PAN, PK and PBB. Tarmidi and Fauzi may also end up with the support of individual councillors disappointed with their factions' decision to back Sutiyoso.