PDI Perjuangan tells members to vote in Sutiyoso or else

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) threatened to impose harsh sanctions, including termination of party membership, against its City Councillors who defy party instructions to reelect the incumbent Governor Sutiyoso.

"We have to uphold the organization's regulations and orders. Those who defy them will be sanctioned," chairman of PDI Perjuangan faction at City Council, Agung Imam Sumanto, told reporters after a late evening meeting last Friday.

"Those who defy the orders are defectors and traitors."

The party's central executive board invited Sutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo to a meeting at Borobudur Hotel, Central Jakarta last Friday night. PDI Perjuangan renominated Sutiyoso while Fauzi is expected to serve as Sutiyoso's vice governor.

The meeting was the first of its kind in that the candidate was summoned by a political party just several days before election day.

The sanctions may befall party chapter chairman Tarmidi Suhardjo, who is also a deputy City Council speaker and included among the seven pairings of gubernatorial candidates, and councillor Dadang Hamdani.

They both defied chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri who had instructed the faction to renominate Sutiyoso, a retired lieutenant general, despite strong rejection from some party members and the public in general.

The public has condemned Sutiyoso, not just as a City Military Commander during the July 27, 1996 incident, but also because he was already announced as a suspect in the incident, when a group of military and civilian opponents of Megawati attacked the party's headquarters in Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, on July 27, 1996.

PDI Perjuangan's members have been opposing Sutiyoso ever since the tragedy.

Earlier, the party's Jakarta chapter had vowed that its candidates would have no connection to the military and party members as well. The chapter had named 11 candidates but most of them withdrew because of Megawati's instruction.

Agung, however, said that the faction was solid to reelect Sutiyoso saying that there were only four councillors that were not attending the meeting.

"We did not invite Tarmidi and Dadang as it is already clear that they are 'over there'. Two other councillors were not here because they are sick".

"The two, Ugiek Sugihardjo and Soepangat, have told us that they cannot attend the meeting due to their health."

The closed meeting was heavily guarded although it was dubbed a silaturahmi "get together" session. There were at least seven security guards standing by near the function room.

Also present at the meeting were party officials from the South, North, and West Jakarta branches.

At the end of the meeting, Sutiyoso gave orange Persija soccer club T-shirts and caps to those attending the meeting.

Agung told reporters after the meeting that the party was only asking for a commitment from Sutiyoso and Fauzi once they were elected.

"PDI Perjuangan wants them to uphold the state's integrity and preserve the state's ideology.

"Meanwhile, our faction in the City Council wants them to give more attention to the public in general by providing more free services, especially in the education and health sectors," he said.

Agung also said that the PDI Perjuangan faction demanded that Sutiyoso pay more attention to the current poor condition of public transportation and to begin the construction of low-cost apartments.

The faction also urged Sutiyoso to have closer cooperation with other provincial administrations to reduce the high rate of migration into the city.

"It will do a lot to reduce migration if Jakarta also helps increase the other provinces' economic growth," said Agung.