PDI-P councilors confused over Sutiyoso's nomination

PDI-P councilors confused over Sutiyoso's nomination

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several city councillors from the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said that they were livid over the
decision of their chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to endorse
incumbent Governor Sutiyoso for the next city governor.

Dadang Hamdani, PDI Perjuangan city councillor, said that
Megawati told the councillors that she had a "political reason"
to choose Sutiyoso, but she refused to explain.

"There is a political reason which I cannot explain to you as
there is a connection between my positions as PDI Perjuangan
chairwoman and president," Dadang quoted Megawati as saying when
asked to elaborate.

Another legislator, who was speaking on condition of
anonymity, said that it was because she was indebted to the
military for their support of the ouster of then president
Abdurrahman Wahid which paved for a Special Session which elected
her as President.

Previously, the party's Central Board Secretary General
Sutjipto quoted Megawati as saying on Tuesday that "only Sutiyoso
could secure the general election in 2004 and the annual sessions
of the People's Consultative Assembly".

Political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Science
(LIPI) Hermawan Sulistiyo did not believe that the real reason
was only a security consideration. He said that PDI Perjuangan
gained a lot of benefits during the administration of Sutiyoso.

Dadang said that Megawati's controversial decision had caused
a conflict not only among the PDI Perjuangan legislators, but
also among the grassroots members of the party.

Dadang's statement was confirmed by other councillors, Tarmidi
Suhardjo and Ugiek Sugihardjo, who rejected Sutiyoso's nomination
from the beginning.

Reliable sources also said that the withdrawal of Roy B.B.
Janis from the election was also sparked by his disappointment
over Sutiyoso's nomination.

Megawati was reportedly angry over Janis' withdrawal from the
race as she apparently still hoped that he or another PDI
Perjuangan candidate could fill the position of deputy governor.

The source also said there were many other leaders within the
party, who were very unhappy with endorsing Sutiyoso.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea, who is
also a deputy chairman of PDI Perjuangan, said that he
reluctantly accepted Sutiyoso's nomination. "Personally, I don't
like Sutiyoso's nomination, but I would accept any decision made
by the party's central board."

Tarmidi, who is the chairman of the Jakarta PDI Perjuangan
chapter, also rejected Sutiyoso's nomination, saying that he
would go ahead with his own candidacy for governor, although the
party's central board decided to officially endorse Sutiyoso.

He also said that he received a message on Tuesday morning
which warned that any PDI Perjuangan faction members in the city
council who defied (the chairwoman's instructions) would be
dismissed.

"I will run for the sake of the party. I fear that our
supporters will abandon us in the 2004 General Election if
Sutiyoso is our candidate," Tarmidi told the press on Friday.

He expressed optimism that he would gain support from his
fellow faction members as well as other factions in the City
Council, which will elect the governor on Sept. 17.

"I predict that the votes of my faction's 30 members (in the
City Council) will be divided 50-50 ... I believe that a PDI-P
member should run, whether it be Roy Janis, Audi Tambunan, myself
or someone else."

The party's city chapter earlier proposed 11 candidates,
including Dadang, Tarmidi, Roy and Audi. So far, only Roy has
officially withdrawn from the race.

Strong opposition to Sutiyoso's nomination also came from
victims of the July 27, 1996 attack against PDI headquarters, as
Sutiyoso allegedly played a key role in that violent tragedy.

Andre Untjoro, a victim of the July 27 incident from South
Jakarta, said that his group had been closely monitoring the
process of electing the governor. He said that a number of PDI
Perjuangan members in South Jakarta were outraged over Sutiyoso's
endorsement by their own party.

"They have threatened to return their membership cards to the
central board if it insists upon endorsing Sutiyoso," according
to Andre.

J. Kristiadi, a political observer from the Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Megawati "is
killing democracy" by interfering in the election.