PDI Perjuangan and PPP split on Sutiyoso's speech

PDI Perjuangan and PPP split on Sutiyoso's speech

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) and United Development Party (PPP) factions in the
City Council will likely be split on whether to accept or reject
Governor Sutiyoso's accountability speech.

"We're now in a very difficult situation -- whether to follow
the wishes of the party or the people," councillor from PDI
Perjuangan faction Bimo Hastoro told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The split of 30 members from the PDI Perjuangan faction was
sparked by a recommendation from the party's Central Board,
signed by its chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, which instructed
all councillors from the party to support Sutiyoso's reelection.

The party will also punish legislators who ignore the
recommendation. So far, the faction has two gubernatorial
candidates: Sutiyoso and PDI Perjuangan's Jakarta chapter head
Tarmidi Suhardjo.

Previously, PDI Perjuangan's Jakarta Chapter had nominated
eight gubernatorial candidates from the Party membership,
including Tarmidi. Those councillors who support Tarmidi's
candidacy will likely reject Sutiyoso's speech.

On July 27, 2002, some 1,000 supporters of the party also
expressed opposition to Sutiyoso's nomination as he remains
implicated in the July 27, 1996, incident, when a group of
military personnel and civilians attacked Megawati's supporters
at the then PDI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.

The 85 members of the City Council will vote on the
accountability speech at the Council's plenary session on Monday.

Councillors' responses to Sutiyoso's speech will give an
indication as to whether they propose to support his reelection
as Jakarta governor during the election on Sept. 11.

So far only the factions of the National Mandate Party (PAN),
with 13 seats, the Justice Party (PK), with four, and the
Crescent and Star Party (PBB), with two, have openly stated their
rejection of Sutiyoso's accountability speech.

The PPP and PDI Perjuangan factions held separate meetings on
Sunday in an effort to seek a common view regarding the
accountability speech.

"I cannot comment about our common stance on the
accountability speech as the meeting is still ongoing," said
legislator from the PPP faction Zayadi Musa on Sunday afternoon.

The split of 12 PPP faction members was sparked by the
disappointment of some legislators and other party leaders over a
decision by PDI Perjuangan to nominate City Secretary Fauzi Bowo
as its vice gubernatorial candidate in a pairing with Sutiyoso.

They were disappointed at both the PDI Perjuangan faction and
Sutiyoso, as previously there had been an agreement between the
PPP and PDI Perjuangan factions that Sutiyoso would be paired
with Chudlary Syafi'i, a deputy chairman of the City Council from
PPP.

Chairman of PPP Jakarta chapter Syarif Zulkarnein Ginting said
that Vice President Hamzah Haz, who is the party chairman, had
asked the party councillors to withdraw their support for
Sutiyoso.

So far only the Golkar Party faction, which has eight seats,
has signaled its unconditional support for Sutiyoso. Other
support may come from the Military/Police faction, with nine
seats, and several minor factions on the City Council.

Chairman of the PAN faction Nazamuddin said that a decision on
Sutiyoso's accountability speech would be made on a vote as it
was unlikely that all 85 Council members would have the same
reaction to Sutiyoso's speech.

"The PAN faction will reject the accountability speech, as
Sutiyoso has failed to resolve a variety of issues, such as
corruption, security and social problems," Nazamuddin told the
Post.

Meanwhile, chairman of Bamus Betawi (the Organization of
Native Jakartans) Abdul Syukur said here on Sunday that the
organization would reject the reelection of Sutiyoso as next
governor as he was not a native Jakartan.

"We'll continue our fight for a native Jakartan to become the
next governor here," he said. "We'll ask all City Councillors to
heed the wishes of the general public, particularly Betawi
people."