PDI-P ready to select Gus Dur for MPR from capital

JAKARTA (JP): The city council faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is likely to nominate Muslim scholar Abdurrahman Wahid next week as one of its two representatives for the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Faction councilors Tarmidi Suhardjo and Azis Boeang revealed the party's preliminary agenda to reporters on Friday, saying that the nomination of Abdurrahman, also known as Gus Dur, was to be finalized after a discussion with other party councilors later in the evening.

However, results were not available at press time.

Councilor Azis said that the nomination of Gus Dur by PDI Perjuangan was expected to help cover the faction's mistakes made during the election of the council speaker on Monday.

The idea to opt for Gus Dur, he said, was considered following the rejection from the General Elections Commission (KPU) for the nomination of Gus Dur, the chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), as NU's candidate representative in the MPR.

The commission argued that Gus Dur could not be nominated for the post since he was a sympathizer of the National Awakening Party (PKB), which also participated in the recent June poll.

But NU executives contended that Gus Dur was merely a founder of PKB.

"The move is also meant to pay respect to Gus Dur, who has always supported the nomination of Megawati Soekarnoputri for the country's next president, although the 'axis force' (Poros Tengah) keeps on nominating him for the presidency," Azis said.

Tarmidi, who is also the faction chairman, said he personally had no objection at all with Gus Dur's nomination.

"I will tell the idea to our party's meeting," Tarmidi, who is also the council deputy speaker, said.

PDI Perjuangan will also nominate Hobes Sinaga, an executive at the party research and development department, as its city representative along with Gus Dur.

Based on the poll vote count and composition of the council, PDI Perjuangan is projected to receive two of the five MPR seats for Jakarta.

The three remaining seats are expected to be held by the military faction, the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

The military has reportedly nominated former city governor Lt. Gen. (ret) Surjadi Soedirdja. PAN has reportedly nominated its city chapter executive, Daniel Abdullah Sani, and PPP has likely chosen its West Jakarta chairman, Achmad Suaidy.

Rumor

The five representatives will be chosen in the council's plenary session scheduled for Wednesday.

Councilor Azis also denied a widespread rumor that he and his colleagues had received a certain amount of money from a certain group which was looking for support for the reelection of candidate Edy Waluyo from the military faction.

But Azis insisted that the rumor over money politics "was mainly due to the party's strategy mistake".

The councilor refused to give details on the strategy mistake but denied allegations that the party's councilors had received Kijang vans from Governor Sutiyoso.

When asked to comment, Sutiyoso insisted that he had not distributed money to influence any members of the councilors to pick certain candidates.

"I have no personal interests. All council speaker candidates are fine with me," he told reporters on Friday.

Sutiyoso also claimed that he did not meet party leaders to discuss the election of the speaker.

The governor also said he did not meet PDI Perjuangan city chapter chairman Roy B.B. Janis at Hotel Borobudur in Central Jakarta prior to the election on Monday.

Councilors, who asked for anonymity, confirmed that they were invited by the governor to his official residence on Sunday evening "to discuss the vote".

All refused to give details of the meeting.

In the vote on Monday, Edy secured 40 votes, Djafar Badjeber from PPP received 30, Tarmidi got nine while M. Suwardi from PAN got none. Five votes were declared invalid.

Upon seeing the small number of votes for Tarmidi, dozens of PDI Perjuangan supporters protested and yelled at their representatives on the council for voting for the military.

Based on the June 7 poll, PDI Perjuangan has 30 seats in the council while PPP and PAN have 13 seats respectively.

Although the military faction did not join the general election, they received nine allotted seats in the City Council. (jun)