PDIP punishes councillors for not choosing Sutiyoso

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The central board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has suspended its city chapter chairman, Tarmidi Suhardjo, for not following the party's instruction to reelect Governor Sutiyoso.

Meanwhile, two councillors, Ugiek Sugihardjo and Dadang Hamdani, who also failed to follow the party's instruction to reelect Sutiyoso, were given warning letters.

Separately, the three councillors questioned the party's sanctions as they were not asked to explain their position.

"We were never asked to explain why we did not elect Sutiyoso," Tarmidi said on Friday.

He said that his decision to run for the gubernatorial election came when the party's city chapter's meeting nominated him as a gubernatorial candidate.

Ugiek supported Tarmidi's statement, saying that the party's central board had yet to revoke the results of the city chapter meeting.

"We conducted the party's city chapter meeting while the party's central board support for Sutiyoso was just a recommendation, which should not be obeyed," he said.

Councillor Dadang added that his decision to run for the gubernatorial election was also based on the results of the party's city chapter meeting.

"I was also nominated at the meeting," Dadang, who ran as a deputy gubernatorial candidate, said.

However, the three councillors said that they would not leave the party even though they felt they had been treated unfairly.

The letters were signed by the party's chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, and secretary Sutjipto.

The party's central board also appointed councillor Sumiati Sukarno as the acting chairwoman for the party's city chapter, replacing Tarmidi.

President Megawati's support for Sutiyoso was seen as controversial because the governor, who was the former Jakarta Military commander, is a suspect in the attack on the party's headquarters on July 27, 1996.

On voting day, Sept. 11, Sutiyoso and running mate Fauzi Bowo secured 47 votes, while Tarmidi, whose running mate was Abdillah Toha from the National Mandate Party (PAN), secured 13 votes.

PDI Perjuangan has 30 councillors, while PAN has 13 seats on the 84-seat council.

The election was marked with allegations of vote buying, with the latest confession coming on Thursday from Dadang, who said that a councillor had received Rp 250 million from Sutiyoso.

Dadang was told by councillor A. Rahman from the United Development Party that he was promised Rp 500 million by Sutiyoso's men to accept the governor's accountability speech and to vote for him in the gubernatorial election.

However, Rahman said he received only Rp 250 million as he accepted the accountability speech, but did not vote for Sutiyoso in the election.

However Rahman denied the allegation, saying that he was not serious when he told Dadang. "I was just kidding," he said.