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.