Remembering The Incident Of 27 July 1996, Kudatuli: The Seriousness Of PDIP Is Questioned

JAKARTA - A number of sympathizers and cadres of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) held a flower-laying procession at the PDI-P DPP office, Jl. Diponegoro 58, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (27/7). This is to commemorate the events of July 27, 1996 or Kudatuli. A dark tragedy that occurred 26 years ago, when the PDIP headquarters was invaded by a number of people, resulting in many casualties.

The Komnas HAM report stated that five people were killed, 149 injured, and 23 missing in what is often called the Kudatuli or Twenty-seventh July Riot.

Until now, the case seems to be left floating. There is a bright spot even though PDI-P has become the ruling party. In fact, Komnas HAM had stated that there had been a number of human rights violations in the Kudatuli case.

Such as, violations of the principle of freedom of assembly and association, violations of the principle of freedom from fear, violations of the principle of freedom from cruel and inhuman treatment, and violations of the protection of human life, as well as violations of the principle of protection of property.

“We are now entering the 26th year of commemorating Kudatuli. The PDI-P DPP wants to continue to investigate this case. We have also been to Komnas HAM. We ask that not only executive subordinates be arrested, but intellectual actors, regardless of rank. They are all still roaming around without any legal process," said PDI-P DPP Chair Ribka Tjiptaning in a written statement, Wednesday (27/7).

Investigators on the 27 July 1996 case only succeeded in naming dozens of suspects from the TNI-Polri and civilian elements, but failed to bring this case to trial in the criminal court.

Meanwhile, 124 members of the volunteers supporting Megawati who were victims of the attack had already been processed by law at that time and were sentenced to prison by law enforcement officials.

The head of the Indonesian Democracy Defenders Team (TPDI) Petrus Selestinus in an interview with tempo.co in 2019, considered that the Kudatuli case was deliberately silenced. PDIP does not seem to be serious about revealing Kudatuli. In fact, PDIP has adequate political power to answer and fulfill the demands of the public's sense of justice.

"When Megawati became president, there was no political will from the Megawati government to resolve the Kudatuli case," he said.

Look at Sutiyoso, when Kudatuli erupted, his position was Pangdam Jaya. He is said to be a suspect in the Kudatuli case. However, in reality, Sutiyoso was instead embraced by PDIP as Governor of DKI Jakarta. In fact, during the Jokowi era, Sutiyoso was the head of BIN.

"What's really going on? Why is PDIP reluctant or half-hearted to complete Kudatuli?”

In 2003, TNI Lieutenant General (Ret.) Soeyono, who was then Head of the ABRI Headquarters, gave his testimony in his memoir entitled 'Not Putting Cigarettes' as written by the April 2003 issue of Gatra Magazine. Soeyono mentioned the names of a number of generals suspected of being responsible for the Kudatuli case. Namely, General R. Hartono (Kasad), Major General Syarwan Hamid (Kasospol), and Major General Sutiyoso (Pangdam Jaya).

Secretary General of the PDI-P DPP Hasto Kristiyanto has visited Komnas HAM several times to urge it to immediately push for further investigations into the Kudatuli case. Hasto also had a dialogue with a number of institutions, including the Police and the Attorney General's Office.

"It takes time to work on it. Consolidation steps are needed from all aspects including the formation of an internal team. But, what is certain is that our political stance will not change, we still view the 27 July incident as a form of human rights violation, it must be fully disclosed, as well as other cases," he said.

Soerjadi and Megawati were the two main figures in the struggle for the throne of the Indonesian Democratic Party. In 1987, as chairman of the PDI, Soerjadi managed to attract a number of well-known names to become members of the party bearing the bull symbol in the pentagon. One of them is Megawati Soekarnoputri.

It is hoped that these names can gain party votes because in the previous two general elections, PDI has always been in the top position.

"In 1987, Megawati and Guruh Soekarno were successfully persuaded by Soerjadi, the then chairman of the PDI DPP, to enter the PDI and become a vote getter in the 1987 election," Sumarno wrote in Megawati Soekarnoputri: From Housewives to the Political Stage (2002).

What Soerjadi did was successful. Although it is still a distended order, PDI seats gain increased by 10 percent or become 40 seats in the DPR. In the next general election in 1992, re-acquisition increased to 56 seats.

After the 1992 elections, riots began to occur within the PDI. On July 21, 1993, the PDI held its fourth congress in Medan and elected Soerjadi as PDI General Chair. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Soesilo Sudarman in August 1993 declared the Medan Congress to be invalid, partly because the elected chairman was accused of being involved in the kidnapping of cadres. He asked PDI to hold an Extraordinary Congress (KLB) in Surabaya.

The Surabaya KLB was finally held in December 1993. Choose between Megawati or Budi Hardjono, who became the General Chair of the PDI. The conditions are also not much different, again leading to a deadlock. In fact, Megawati is just one step away from winning.

Tirto.id on July 27, 2019 wrote, on December 6, 1993, the caretaker (Budi Hardjono) fled without appointing an elected PDI general chairman. "In the midst of a situation that was deliberately made floating, Megawati still declared herself the de facto Chairperson of the PDI."

Support for Megawati was ratified at the National Deliberation in Kemang, South Jakarta on December 22, 1993.

Apparently, the Kemang National Conference was not the end of the story. Megawati's figure is considered a threat to the authorities. One year before the 1997 general election, based on the report of political scientist Edward Aspinal in Opposing Suharto: Compromise, Resistance, and Regime Change in Indonesia (2005), the government through the ranks of the Ministry of Home Affairs and a number of ABRI officers pressured the PDI at the regional level to sign a further KLB agreement in Medan. .

The KLB received the blessing of Home Affairs Minister Yogie S. Memet and the ABRI Commander General Feisal Tanjung under the pretext of overcoming the party's internal crisis. Finally, the Medan KLB which was held on 20-23 June 1996 appointed Soerjadi as General Chair of the PDI.

“Most of the Medan KLB committee are followers of Soerjadi or people forced to join Megawati by Hendropriyono and other ABRI officers in 1993 as a guarantee of government support. Meanwhile, in the regions, PDI administrators at the district/city level were loyal to Megawati. Many PDI members declared 'ready to die for Megawati',” wrote Edward Aspinal.

There is a dualism of leadership. Megawati as Chairperson of the PDI version of the 1993 Jakarta National Conference and Soerjadi as Chairperson of the 1996 KLB Medan version.

Megawati and her supporters have never acknowledged the results of the Medan KLB. That's why he still occupied the PDI DPP office on Jalan Diponegoro. In fact, instead of a form of protest, Megawati's supporters hold a Democracy pulpit every day at the office. Filled with activists who condemn government intervention against PDI. Not infrequently too, criticism has widened to the dual function of ABRI, and other odd things during the new order.

This criticism strengthened the authorities to actually 'expel' Megawati. The Commander of the Armed Forces, Feisal Tanjung, called the pulpit for democracy the 'Old Song of the PKI'.

President Soeharto said there were 'bald devils' who used the PDI for their own interests. The bald devil was often described by the New Order regime as a pronoun for the PKI, referring to the alliance of various pro-democracy movement groups under the umbrella of the Indonesian People's Assembly.

Then, on July 27, 1996, there was an attack or forced expulsion by Soerjadi's supporters against Megawati's supporters who were still occupying the PDI DPP office on Jalan Diponegoro. The two sides attacked each other, resulting in casualties. This is what is often referred to as the Kudatuli incident.

As a result of this incident, Megawati decided to abstain from voting in the 1997 general election.

"I declare today that I will not use my political rights as a citizen in the elections on May 29, 1997," Megawati said during a speech to her supporters on May 22, 1997.