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.