Sutiyoso now certain to contest election on Sept. 11

Sutiyoso now certain to contest election on Sept. 11

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Incumbent Governor Sutiyoso will definitely take part in the
gubernatorial election on Sept. 11 as two major factions on the
City Council confirmed on Thursday that he would be their only
candidate.

Sutiyoso, who is paired with current city secretary Fauzi Bowo
as vice gubernatorial candidate, is nominated by the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction, which has
30 seats on the Council, and the Golkar faction, which has eight.

Binsar Tambunan, a councillor from the PDI Perjuangan faction,
confirmed on Thursday that his faction had decided that Sutiyoso
and Fauzi would be its only candidates.

According to Binsar, chairman of the PDI Perjuangan Jakarta
chapter Tarmidi Suhardjo, who was also the party's gubernatorial
candidate in the faction, has accepted the final decision of the
faction.

On Friday, the City Council will further shortlist all of the
candidates, leaving possibly 11 pairs at most or two pairs as a
minimum. The Council will have to report the selected candidates
to the President before they take part in the gubernatorial
election on Sept. 11.

Tarmidi, who is paired with secretary-general of the National
Mandate Party (PAN) Abdillah Toha, is another potential candidate
of PDI Perjuangan.

Another dark horse is Edy Waluyo, who was nominated by the
United Development Party (PPP) faction.

The PDIP faction's decision to nominate Sutiyoso is in
compliance with the party's central board recommendation signed
by its chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who instructed all
councillors from the party to support him.

But the party's grassroot supporters, particularly victims of
the July 27, 1996 incident, rejected Sutiyoso's nomination. The
July 27 incident refers to the attack by military and civilian
supporters of PDI chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri's rival,
Soerjadi, on the party headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central
Jakarta on July 27, 1996.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Golkar faction Ade Surapriatna said
that the nomination of Sutiyoso and Fauzi was based on political
realities. "He (Sutiyoso) is supported by the largest faction,
PDI Perjuangan, and that's why we support him."

By appointing Sutiyoso and Fauzi as its pair of candidates,
Golkar is shunning its other, Tutty Alawiyah.

Meanwhile, the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission
(KPKPN) was unable on Thursday to question Sutiyoso over his
controversial wealth as cited by the public, as he reportedly
fell sick.

Sutiyoso was scheduled to be questioned by KPKPN officials at
1 p.m. on Thursday about the assets that was not included in his
report to KPKPN.

These include a demolished villa in the Puncak, Bogor, West
Java. He would also have been questioned about funds allegedly
used as hush money for victims of the July 27 incident.