Sutiyoso: Behind the smile

Sutiyoso: Behind the smile

Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post

When President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrives from India at
Halim Perdankusuma Airport on Friday, Jakarta Governor Lt. Gen.
(ret.) Sutiyoso will likely be among the first in the row of
senior officials standing near the presidential plane, to
cheerfully greet her.

The President may then have received prior information about
the pitiless beatings of women, and infants by a group of
Sutiyoso's admirers, from the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) who
were angered by the poor people's protests against their idol.
The thug-looking men used force to disperse a group of protesters
organized by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), who intended to
convey their aspirations to the National Commission on Human
Rights last week.

It is unlikely that the President would ask the governor about
his fans' brutality. She may not realize either the coincidence
that FBR chairman, Achmad Fadloli El Muhir chairs the Jakarta
chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the party which
Megawati's camp split from following the violent assault on her
headquarters on July 27, 1996 -- in which Sutiyoso, then Jakarta
military commander, played a role behind the scenes, as he
acknowledged to the police in an investigation.

As governor and former Jakarta military commander, Sutiyoso
has routinely welcomed and seen off four presidents, including
Soeharto and Abdurrahman Wahid, when they departed or returned
from foreign trips, or even when they made a domestic tour. He
was Megawati's broadly smiling host when she visited flood
victims.

His brilliant approach of courtesy has apparently been quite
fruitful; none of the presidents have expressed dissatisfaction
of his performance, at least in public.

Soeharto promoted Sutiyoso as Jakarta governor in October
1997, reportedly as an expression of his gratitude for the
success in the crackdown on Megawati's headquarters, when she was
chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

A few days after the riots which followed the 1996 attack on
the PDI headquarters, Sutiyoso had said, "Orders to shoot on the
spot will be issued if they (troublemakers) renew their efforts
to disrupt peace and order at the expense of the general interest
of the public." Many of Megawati's supporters were among those
"troublemakers."

Despite Sutiyoso's security assurance the military had
brutally dispersed a free speech forum before the tragedy at PDI
headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, dozens were
killed.

The PDI tragedy itself remains a mystery and it seems that
Megawati has decided to forget the violence although she knows
that she owes the victims who played a pivotal role in
skyrocketing her name to the presidential seat. Her position as
chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) is inseparable from their sacrifice. The victims want
her to enforce the law against those who are responsible for
their misery, including Sutiyoso.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, Megawati recently expressed her
satisfaction that she was able to win seven of her total 200
lawsuits against Soeharto's government and the military. After
the riots she filed lawsuits across the country's district courts
to strive for recognition as PDI leader. As none of her legal
victories were significant, the question now is whether she is
satisfied because she can win less than 3 percent of the
litigations, or because she has been able to reach the country's
highest position?

Many of the victims have protested Megawati's silence. She
even moved the headquarters of her PDI camp, later named PDI
Perjuangan, to other places and abandoned the historic office on
Jl. Diponegoro office.

As governor, Sutiyoso can neither wash his hands of the impact
of the May riots in Jakarta which forced Soeharto to end his 32-
year dictatorship.

The President may have her own plans regarding the governor,
who will complete his five-year term in October. Sutiyoso clearly
still wants to stay longer as governor. But what he has done for
Jakarta? He cannot even resolve garbage problems.

The President must learn from her father Sukarno. Realizing
the chaos of the capital, then president Sukarno appointed Maj.
Gen. (Marine) Ali Sadikin as governor in 1966. Ali, who held the
position for 11 years, is still regarded as the father of Jakarta
development and its most successful governor despite his iron-
fist style.

After that, all five of Ali's successors came from military.
While all Soeharto's successors are civilians, isn't it
ridiculous that the next Jakarta governor still comes from the
military?

The chaotic Jakarta needs a strong leader. Megawati's party,
PDI Perjuangan, has the biggest seat in the City Council and
would have the final say on the governorship. But we must also
remember that it was the party, despite public protests, which
endorsed the reelection of Maj.Gen. Waluyo as City Council
speaker in 1999. Will the party repeat a similar move for
Sutiyoso?

When the President shakes hands with the governor at the
airport, we hope that she remembers her father's choice to
support the best possible choice for Jakarta governor.