PDI-P supporters riot in Tegal

PDI-P supporters riot in Tegal

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Tegal, Central Java

Hundreds of supporters of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
political party ran amok in Tegal municipality, Central Java,
soon after their candidate lost the mayoral race here on Monday.

Rioters from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-
P), numbering around 500, set ablaze a Land Rover car and
hundreds of red party attributes, including T-shirts and flags.

No casualties or injuries were reported in the violence, which
mostly involved members of the local PDI-P security task force.
However, people immediately shut down their shops nearby for fear
the violence might spread.

The unrest, which broke out outside the party's branch office
on Jl. Setiabudi, Tegal, at around 12 a.m., ended after less than
an hour.

Witnesses said the violence was sparked by the defeat of PDI-P
candidate Agil Abdurachim and his running mate, Firdaus Muhtadi,
in the mayoral election at Tegal legislative council, which
started at 9 a.m.

The pair were defeated by the pairing of Adi Winarso and
Maufur, nominated by the Golkar Party.

Adi Winarso grabbed 17 of the total 30 votes on the council to
win the election, while Agil Abdurachim received 10 votes.

Meanwhile, the pairing of Priyono and Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin,
nominated by the National Awakening Party (PKB), took only two
votes, and the National Mandate Party (PAN) candidates, Amansyah
and M.Yasin, received only one vote.

The unrest flared up shortly after the council finished
counting the votes.

To vent their anger, the PDI-P task force members then set
ablaze their own Land Rover car, removed their red T-shirts and
other attributes and set them alight.

The rioters briefly established a road block in the Setiabudi
area until hundreds of police arrived at the scene to quell the
unrest.

The angry supporters later marched the three kilometers to
Bahari Hotel, where PDI-P councillors had gathered ahead of the
mayoral race to consolidate support.

As the protesters passed along Jl. Setiabudi, Jl. Letjen
Suprapto and Jl. Letkol Sugiono, all shops there closed for fear
of being attacked.

However, the mob was unable to reach the hotel because it was
tightly guarded by hundreds of police officers.

The protesters later continued their violence outside the
hotel by burning red PDI-P flags and T-shirts. The arson caused a
two-hour traffic jam along nearby streets.

The violence ended after Tegal Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr.
Darwin Butar Butar intervened and held talks with the rioters.

The protesters, speaking before Darwin during the dialog,
demanded that Tegal legislative council speaker Kartomo be
investigated over bribery allegations in connection with the
mayoral election.

"We have asked the police to investigate bribery allegations
involving the council speaker. This caused our candidate to
lose," said leader of the violent protesters Namuri Abdurrakhman.

The defeated PDI-P candidate, Agil Abdurachim -- who chairs
the party's Tegal branch -- expressed disappointment over his
defeat and backed the call for the police to investigate the
bribery allegations.