PDI-P cadres face penalties if they seek governorship

PDI-P cadres face penalties if they seek governorship

Yuli Trisuwarni and Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Cirebon

A rift in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuagan) took its toll after one of its councillors in the West
Java legislature proposed on Thursday that his colleagues be
dismissed for running in the gubernatorial and deputy
gubernatorial elections.

Head of the PDI Perjuangan faction at the provincial
legislature, Rahardi Zakaria, announced his plan after receiving
some 1,000 party supporters who rallied against three councillors
who had registered themselves as candidates in the gubernatorial
and deputy gubernatorial elections.

"Normally party cadres have to be loyal and take care of the
party's interests," Rahardi said, hailing the protesters, who
branded speaker of the council Eka Santosa and councillors Gatot
Tjahjono and Lumi Darmawan "traitors".

Eka, who claims to have the support of several major
organizations, will contest the gubernatorial election, while
Gatot and Lumi are vying for the post of deputy governor.

PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also
the President, has ordered all party members in the West Java
legislature to support the nomination of Rudy Harsa Tanaya, head
of the party chapter in the province, for deputy governor.

Megawati had earlier given the same order to Jakarta
councillors to support the reelection of Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso
as the governor of the capital city, despite his alleged
involvement in the forcible takeover of PDI headquarters from
Megawati's loyalists in 1996. The party's central executive board
dismissed Tarmidi Soeharjo as chairman of the party's Jakarta
chapter for ignoring the order.

PDI Perjuangan has also dismissed five Lampung councillors as
party executives for supporting a gubernatorial candidate who was
not approved by Megawati.

Rahardi said he would relay the party supporters' demand to
Jakarta.

He denied allegations that the party chapter had paid the
protesters.

"Their demonstration was spontaneous, it was not our work," he
said.

The protesters, who came from Bandung and various towns across
the province, flocked to the legislative building on Jl.
Diponegoro.

"We demand that all members of the PDI Perjuangan faction take
a united stand and vote for the candidate approved by the central
executive board," shouted Anthoni, a party task force member from
Cimahi, near Bandung.

Responding to the threat of dismissal, Eka, who chairs the
election committee, said he was unmoved.

"Let them fire me. In this era of democracy, any opinion or
wish must be respected," Eka said.

Eka and Gatot are among 41 candidates who have sent in their
registration forms. With just one day remaining, there are 131
candidates who have not submitted their forms.

Separately, gubernatorial candidate Ade Suhidin said he was
ready for police questioning on his multi-level agricultural
business in Cirebon which had allegedly caused billions of rupiah
in losses to investors last year.

The police liken Suhidin's company PT Adess Sumber Hidup
Dinamika to the Sukabumi-based firm PT Qurnia Subur Alam Raya
which collapsed last year. The director of the latter, Ramli
Araby, is under police detention pending trial for fraud.