Supporters in scuffles in Depok election battle

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Tension was running high in Depok on Tuesday as supporters of Nur Mahmudil Ismail, who the Supreme Court declared as the winner of Depok's mayoral election, clashed with those in the camp of rival candidate Badrul Kamal.

More than 100 supporters of Nur Mahmudi dismantled tents set up by supporters of Badrul in front of Depok municipality and chased more than a dozen away.

Badrul's supporters tried to resist but by 1 p.m., they left the location after they were clearly outnumbered.

A small number of police and public order officers stood by but no one was injured in the incident.

The latest disturbance took place four days after the Supreme Court issued its final and binding verdict on the Depok election dispute on Friday, annulling the ruling of West Java High Court in August that declared Badrul of the Golkar Party the winner.

That verdict was later contested by Nur Mahmudi of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), whom the Depok General Election Commission (KPUD) had earlier named as the winner of the mayoral election.

The supporters of Badrul, who had served as Depok mayor until early 2005, rejected the verdict and held protests outside the Depok municipal compound.

Yusuf Hidayat, chairman of the Depok Residents Forum, one of organizations that supported Nur Mahmudi, said Badrul's supporters had to be disbursed because they were disturbing public order.

"Badrul's supporters have destroyed Depok's peace. They have protested from morning until evening and made City Hall dirty," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday hundreds of supporters from both sides also engaged in a clash in front of the Cibinong District Court in West Java. Both sides came to witness the indictment of several Depok councillors in a Rp 7.5 billion graft case.

Two groups of Badrul's supporters, who called themselves the Group of Depok Residents (KOOD) and the Justice Guard, met with hundreds of Nur Mahmudi's supporters at 11.45 a.m. at the court.

Brief jostles broke out and ended in a brawl in which one of Badrul's supporters was injured.

Officers from the Bojong Gede Police subprecinct were unable to stop the clash but both sides agreed to disperse after brief negotiations.

Last Sunday, dozens of Badrul's supporters also rallied to protest the Supreme Court verdict.

Meanwhile, after three factions -- Golkar, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and National Awakening Party (PKB) -- in the Depok Council announced that they had rejected the Supreme Court decision, some 13 organizations in Depok vowed to support Nur Mahmudi on Tuesday.

The groups, including the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and Nahdatul Ulama (NU) in Depok, agreed that Depok residents should obey decisions made by the Supreme Court.

"We don't want to see conditions in Depok worsen. This (dispute has) disrupted Depok's administration. So we ask residents to remain calm," Burhanuddin of NU said.