Wait-and-see stance on Sutiyoso: Council

Wait-and-see stance on Sutiyoso: Council

JAKARTA (JP): City Council will take a wait-and-see stance
over Governor Sutiyoso's status in the 1996 violent takeover of
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters, saying that
the council had no legal basis to take action.

"We will wait for the court to decide. There's no legal basis
for the council to recommend (a possible) suspension or
replacement of the governor," City Council Speaker Edy Waluyo
told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Edy said Sutiyoso was allegedly involved in a case that took
place before he was appointed governor, so City Council had no
authority to question him.

Sutiyoso was appointed governor of Jakarta in 1998.

"If the court officially (later) asks the council to recommend
his suspension in the interest of the trial than we will consider
it.

"But it would happen after the governor is declared a
defendant," Edy said.

He said the council's decision on the governor was not
designed to defend Sutiyoso. It was due to existing regulations
which did not provide authority for the council to do so.

"It's the President's right to suspend the governor, not us,"
Edy said.

Last month, a joint police and military team, mandated to
probe the 1996 bloody attack on the PDI headquarters, named
Sutiyoso, who was the Jakarta Military commander at the time, a
suspect in the case.

His counterpart in the police, then Jakarta Police chief Insp.
Gen. Hamami Nata, also has the same status.

On the morning of July 27, 1996, "supporters" of a PDI
splinter group led by Soerjadi -- with strong backing from the
military -- forcefully took over the PDI headquarters on Jl.
Diponegoro from supporters of then PDI leader Megawati
Soekarnoputri, who is currently Vice President.

At least five people were killed and 23 others are still
reported as missing from the attack, which triggered mass unrest
in Central Jakarta. But many have claimed that the numbers were
much higher than the official figures.

On Wednesday, Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy
Lt. Gen. (ret) Surjadi Sudirdja said it was the President's right
to dismiss the governor because of the 1996 case.

According to Government Regulation No. 108/2000 on the
accountability of regional leaders, a provincial governor can be
dismissed for complicity in a criminal case. This allows City
Council to establish a special investigation team to further
probe the case.

Sutiyoso has said he was ready to face any sanctions,
including serving a prison sentence.

"This is a political case. I am a soldier and I was doing my
job," he said.

Separately, several councillors interviewed by the Post on
Friday shared Edy's remarks, saying that the council should wait
for the court's ruling on the case.

"According to Law No.22/1999 on regional autonomy, all
governors should be replaced two years after the law was issued,
meaning that Sutiyoso should actually be replaced next year," the
National Mandate Party (PAN) faction chief Wasilah Soetrisno
said.

She said her faction had been discussing several names for
Sutiyoso's replacement.

One of the leading candidates, she added, would be the current
city secretary, Fauzi Bowo.

"However, it still depends on the biggest faction in the
council," she said, referring to the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

PDI Perjuangan faction chief Audi Tambunan said his faction
would not take any measures to dismiss Sutiyoso or find a
replacement for his position.

"We have to maintain legal procedures and consider Sutiyoso
innocent before the court issues his legal status. He should be
replaced next year because that is what the regional autonomy law
states," Audi said.

When asked to comment on his possible promotion, City
Secretary Fauzi Bowo said, "It would be inappropriate of me to
say anything about that because I am still a subordinate of the
governor." (dja)