PDI-P to expel Tangerang council speaker Gian

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang mayoralty council speaker Gian Sugiharsono is on the list of errant Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) members who are facing expulsion from the party, a party official announced on Sunday.

Acting chairwoman of PDI Perjuangan's Tangerang branch, Ribka Tjiptaning, said as a consequence Gian should vacate his post as council speaker.

Also on the list was Herry Rumawatine, another city councilor representing the party, she said.

Ribka was responding to party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri's statement on Saturday that 14 members of the party would be sacked and 28 others would be discharged from their posts for "tarnishing the party's image and that of the legislature."

Megawati did not identify the party members, but Ribka said the party leader knew who they were because the decision had been taken following a meeting with members of the party's advisory board.

The decree removing Gian and Herry from the largest party was slated to be signed by Megawati later on Sunday, Ribka said.

Ribka said removal of a party member from the legislative council is allowed by Law No. 4/1999 on the structure and composition of House of Representatives and its lower provincial and regency-level councils.

"The law clearly states that a member's removal can be done if he or she is being discharged by his or her respective party or found guilty of committing a crime," Ribka said.

Neither Gian or Herry were available for comments on Sunday.

Golkar Party, PDI Perjuangan and the United Development Party (PPP) in the Tangerang mayoralty council earlier filed a no confidence motion against Gian over his April 24, 2000 decision to give the go-ahead to a project involving 72 hectares of land in Koang Jaya subdistrict without following council procedures.

Three days later on April 27, hundreds of people who claimed to be local members of the PDI Perjuangan ran amok, vandalizing the building and injuring the party's faction chairman Teddy Subrata and a local resident.

The mob demanded the resignation of four Perjuangan councilors, whom they accused as party traitors for supporting the motion.

Reports said that Herry backed Gian in the dispute.

Based on a preliminary investigation, local police alleged Gian of masterminding the attack. It was this that eventually led to his dismissal from the council.

Gian refused to answer the police summons for questioning, saying that the allegations against him were baseless. He alleged the police had tortured four PDI Perjuangan members so they would name him a suspect. (41/edt)