Sutiyoso foes in 'psywar', skip inauguration
Ahmad Junaidi The Jakarta Post Jakarta
Anti-Sutiyoso demonstrators canceled on Monday their plan to occupy the City Council building to foil the inauguration ceremony of Governor Sutiyoso and Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo in order to avoid clashes with pro-Sutiyoso supporters and security officers.
Aware that the council building would be tightly guarded by some 4,000 police and military officers as well as around 1,000 of Sutiyoso's civilian defenders, the anti-Sutiyoso groups decided to call off their plan.
"We intentionally canceled our rally after hearing that Sutiyoso had deployed thousands of officers. It's our 'psywar' to make him afraid and deploy too many officers, who turn out to be useless," chairman of the Jakarta Student Organization (BEM) Sardi Effendi told The Jakarta Post.
However, Sardi pledged that the students would remain critical and continue their rallies against the governor in the near future.
Separately, chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor Nainggolan admitted that most of anti-Sutiyoso groups canceled the demonstration to avoid clashes with officers and Sutiyoso's supporters.
"We want to avoid clashes. It would be useless to clash with police officers or Sutiyoso's civilian gang," said Tigor, who came alone and waited in front of the building as he was not invited to attend the ceremony.
Like Sardi, he said that the opposition against Sutiyoso would continue with rallies against his policies.
During a massive rally, reportedly involving nearly 20,000 people during the election day on Sept. 11, several protesters suffered injuries as they clashed with police officers.
Many believed that anti-Sutiyoso groups canceled their plan also due to the repressive action by the police. At least two members of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) were arrested on Saturday during a rally against Sutiyoso in front of the City Council building.
Separately, the police also arrested and detained at least eight members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), also a vocal anti-Sutiyoso group, for damaging entertainment spots on Friday morning.
It was at least the fourth time that the radical group had attacked night spots in the city this year, but it was not until last weekend that the police made any arrests.
The arrest of FPI members, mostly field commanders, was believed to stem from their public opposition of Sutiyoso.
The FPI, BEM, PRD and Fakta were among several non- governmental organizations who demanded the annulment of the result of the gubernatorial election which was marred by evidence of bribery and other irregularities.
Late on Monday, dozens of PRD supporters showed up and conducted a rally in front of the council building. They arrived at about 11 a.m., an hour after the ceremony ended and the pro- Sutiyoso supporters left.
Dita Indah Sari, chairwoman of the National Front for Indonesian Labor Struggle (FNPBI), the labor wing of PRD, said her organization did not have any intention to cancel the rally.
"We came late because we wanted to wait for the other groups to arrive. Up until late last night all of us were still committed to occupying the building, but this morning they canceled it," Dita told reporters.
They nevertheless unfurled a large banner which read, "Annul Sutiyoso's Inauguration". PRD supporters also carried a large effigy with two faces - Sutiyoso and President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Megawati who is also chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the largest faction in the council, supported Sutiyoso's candidacy in the gubernatorial race and ordered the members in the City Council to vote for Sutiyoso.