PDI Perjuangan set to punish Tarmidi

PDI Perjuangan set to punish Tarmidi

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Councillors from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) confirmed on Wednesday that the party's central board
would punish the party's city chapter chairman Tarmidi Suhardjo.

Tarmidi would be sanctioned for nominating himself as a
gubernatorial candidate in defiance of controversial party
instructions to reelect the incumbent Governor Sutiyoso.

"I heard that he (Tarmidi) would be fired from his positions
as the party's city chapter chairman and the council's deputy
chairman," a senior councillor from the party, Binsar Tambunan,
told reporters.

Binsar said the party's central board would appoint deputy
chairman Gunawan Wirosaroyo as acting chairman until a new
chairman was elected. No date has been set for the election.

He said the party would possibly replace Tarmidi from his
position as the council's deputy chairman with the party's
faction chairman Agung Imam Sumanto.

However, the party would not dismiss Tarmidi from the council.

"He would still be an ordinary party member and councillor,"
Binsar, who is the faction's advisor, said.

He said Tarmidi had made a big mistake by receiving his
nomination from the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Tarmidi, who paired with PAN's deputy chairman Abdillah Toha
as deputy gubernatorial candidate, secured 13 votes while
Sutiyoso got 47 votes during the election on Sept. 17.

Separately, Tarmidi's supporter, councillor Ugiek Sugihardjo
who is also from the same party, confirmed that Tarmidi would be
punished by the central board.

"I heard that the party would give an organizational sanction.
But what kind of sanction, we have not yet heard," Ugiek, who
earlier revealed a bribery scandal involving councillor Agung
Imam Sumanto, said.

He questioned the party's planned sanction of Tarmidi as the
party's councillor Dadang Hamdani, who nominated himself as a
deputy governor, was not given any sanction.

He said the party also did not sanction councillors for not
electing Tarmidi two years ago when the later was nominated by
the party as the council's chairman.

"I call my fellow friends not to 'torture' Tarmidi again as he
already suffered (with the failure in the gubernatorial
election)," Ugiek said.

After days of rejecting the results of the gubernatorial
election, Tarmidi announced on Tuesday his acceptance of the
reelection of Sutiyoso.

"I will attend Sutiyoso's inauguration. I will shake his hand
(to congratulate him)," said Tarmidi, who was once named a
suspect, along with two other councillors, in a controversial
foreign trip called Ancolgate.

However, Binsar Tambunan refused to "forgive" Tarmidi,
rejecting the possibility of reconciliation between Tarmidi and
other councillors in the party who elected Sutiyoso.

"There is no reconciliation. As a party leader, he should not
betray the party's instructions," Binsar said.