Sutiyoso: Most maligned governor

Sutiyoso: Most maligned governor

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso may well go down in history as the
governor who has seen the most demonstrations against himself and
his policies.

"During my first term as governor between 1997 and 2002 4,538
demonstrations were staged by Jakartans against me ... from
small-scale rallies to ones that led to anarchy," the retired
Army lieutenant general was quoted by Antara over the weekend.

The protests intensified when the governor, who will turn 58
on Dec. 6, ran for his second term recently.

From registration as gubernatorial candidate up to his
inauguration as governor for the period 2002-2007, people from
all walks of life in the city, led by non-governmental
organizations, staged rallies against him.

Such rallies will very likely increase as many of his
policies, particularly those on migration and the urban poor,
have drawn public criticism.

Sutiyoso has pursued a policy of forcibly evicting street
vendors, becak (three-wheel pedicab) drivers and other low-income
migrants because he says they hamper the process of development
and disturb order in the city.

Activists and even city councillors have also questioned his
policies on handling the floods, the city's transportation
system, and garbage disposal.

Sutiyoso also faced accusations of vote buying in his
reelection and corruption during his first term.

He was also declared a suspect in the July 27 takeover of PDI
headquarters when he was the Jakarta military commander in 1996.

The takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
headquarters in Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, by Megawati
Soekarnoputri's opponents, was allegedly assisted by military.

Ironically, it was Megawati, as incumbent President, who named
Sutiyoso as the gubernatorial candidate from her Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction.

Sutiyoso deplored the public's over zealous passion for
demonstrations, while acknowledging they were part of the
democratic era.

"We struggle every day but never resolve our problems ... We
fail to see that we have to solve the prolonged crisis. In this
reform era, we are busy fighting one other and forget that the
nation's unity is under threat," he noted.