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.