Supporters of a regent candidate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) held a violent demonstration in Tabanan, Bali on Monday, protesting the replacement of the candidate by the party’s central board.

The supporters of Tabanan regent candidate I Wayan Sukaja demonstrated in front of the party’s Tabanan headquarters, demanding the central board annul its recommendation to replace Sukaja
with Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti, who was initially nominated as Sukaja’s running mate.

Several supporters in Banjar Gubung Belodan, several hundreds from the demonstration area, began getting violent when they burned the party’s flag and tore down a small post displaying a PDI-P sign.

On Sunday, similar protests were seen in other villages in the regency, opposing the recommendation.

“We strongly reject the recommendation. We want Sukaja as the candidate. We don’t want to be led by an inexperienced figure,” said Komang Edi Wirawan, one of the protesters at the Banjar Gubug Belodan, referring to Wiryastuti.  

The protesters threatened not to vote if the party’s central board accepts the recommendation.  

The central board has previously nominated Sukaja, currently a member of the provincial council, as a candidate for the 2010-2015 regent in the May 4 elections.

Wiryastuti is the daughter of incumbent Tabanan regent Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, who has occupied the office for two consecutive terms. She is reportedly eyeing the regent post, and has made her own efforts to gather public support. Wiryastuti is also considering running in  the election as an independent candidate or with another party’s support.

Aware of dissent between the pair, the central board issued a recommendation to nominate a new duo to run the election, with Wiryastuti as the regent candidate and I Gde Komang Sanjaya as the deputy regent candidate.

Sukaja’s supporters strongly opposed the idea, saying the central board had violated the party’s mechanism to nominate a candidate and had betrayed Sukaja, whom they deemed a militant cadre.

The supporters maintained that by issuing the recommendation, the central board had worsened the
already chaotic situation in Tabanan. They urged the party’s Tabanan chapter board to reject the recommendation.

“The Tabanan board should immediately ask the central board to annul the recommendation. We also demand the Tabanan board to not register the new pair to the election commission,” said the supporters’ representative I Gusti Made Sumadi Yoga.

Should their demands not be fulfilled in a week, the demonstrators threatened to launch bigger protests.

In response to the protest, Tabanan board chief Made Sudana blamed some disloyal cadres in the regency board, who had apparently  influenced the central board to issue the recommendation.

“The move to replace Sukaja with Wiryastuti is not valid. We will immediately settle this problem with the central board,” Sudana said.

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