PDI-P to sue rival party's chief for defamation

PDI-P to sue rival party's chief for defamation

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is
considering filing a defamation suit against Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS) leader Hidayat Nurwahid.

PDI-P lawyer Gayus Lumbun said on Tuesday that Hidayat, whose
party has enjoyed a strong showing in the preliminary tally for
the April 5 legislative election, defamed Megawati Soekarnoputri
both as party leader and President when he told Tempo magazine
that she sided with "tricky people".

"We are preparing the lawsuit, but for now we will only send
an official protest to Hidayat over his statement," Gayus said
after attending the party's weekly meeting led by Megawati on
Tuesday.

In its April 12 edition, Tempo quoted Hidayat as saying that
Megawati sided with "tricky people" over the poor:

"Saya heran, Mega malah memihak konglomerat hitam. Mega juga
membiarkan penzaliman terhadap 'Tempo' dan 'Koran Tempo' oleh
Tommy Winata. Dia juga tidak memerintahkan pemeriksaan terhadap
Jaksa Agung M.A. Rachman. Itulah sebabnya saya bilang Mega lebih
berpihak pada wong licik daripada wong cilik." (I am amazed that
Mega is taking sides with black tycoons. Mega allows the assault
on Tempo and Koran Tempo by Tommy Winata to take place. She does
not order an investigation of Attorney General M.A. Rachman.
That's the reason why I say that Mega sides with tricky people
rather than the poor.)

Gayus said the statement constituted a violation of Law No.
12/2002 on elections, which carries a maximum punishment of a
three-month jail term, and the Criminal Code on insulting state
officials.

"This is a criminal offense by Hidayat and also other party
leaders, and we will take legal action against them," Gayus said.

Another PDI-P lawyer, Trimedya Panjaitan, said a similar
offense was committed by Freedom Bull National Party (PNBK)
leader Eros Djarot, who was once a member of Megawati's inner
circle.

"We are gathering evidence to back up our legal position in
these defamation cases," Trimedya said.

Responding to the possibility that the PDI-P would file a
lawsuit against him, Hidayat told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday he
had yet to receive any formal protest from the party over his
statement in Tempo, but underlined that he would abide by the
legal process.

"There are legal procedures that we have to follow, so let the
people judge .... It is common to say 'wong licik and wong
cilik,'" he said.

With almost 70 percent of the vote counted, the PKS has
stunned many political pundits by garnering more than 7 percent
of the vote in the April 5 legislative election, up from less
than 2 percent in the 1999 election.

The PDI-P, on the other hand, has garnered barely 20 percent
of the votes counted so far, down from about 34 percent in the
last elections, casting doubts over Megawati's chances in the
July 5 presidential election.