Michelle Gabriela, Jakarta – 28 years ago, riots broke out in Jakarta that became known as the Kudatuli incident or the July 27, 1996 riots. On that Saturday, the riots are recorded as a dark historical incident in the world of Indonesian politics.
The incident began with a leadership dualism within the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Supporters of Soerjadi, the chairperson elected at a rebel PDI congress in Medan, North Sumatra, attacked and took control of the PDI Central Leadership Board (DPP) offices on Jalan Diponegoro Number 58 in Central Jakarta, which was occupied by supporters of the PDI chairperson elected at an earlier congress in Surabaya, East Java, Megawati Sukarnoputri.
July 4, 1996:
Sixteen administrators of the PDI DPP, initiated by Fatimah Achmad, S.H, which was then called Group 16, form the PDI Congress Committee. They challenge the results of a national deliberation that elected Megawati as the chairperson of the PDI. The group is supported by the government and the Indonesian military, then called ABRI.
June 5, 1996
Group 16 decides to organise a congress in Medan, North Sumatra. The Megawati camp rejects this.
June 19, 1996
Thousands of pro-Megawati PDI members hold a long-march from Jalan Thamrin in the Jakarta central business district to the nearby PDI DPP offices on Jalan Diponegoro. Democratic forums or what is called a free speech forums begin to be held at the PDI offices. Megawati sacks the members of Group 16.
June 20, 1996
Home Affairs Minister Yogie S.M. opens the PDI congress in Medan, which is attended by ABRI commander General Feisal Tanjung. In Jakarta, pro-Megawati PDI supporters clash with security forces at Gambir, Central Jakarta.
June 21, 1996
Megawati declares that she remains the PDI DPP chairperson for the 1993-1998 period.
June 22, 1996
The PDI congress in Medan elects Drs. Soerjadi as the PDI chairperson and a day later appoints Buttu Hutapea as the party's secretary general.
July 15, 1996
A meeting of ABRI's Chief of Social Political Staff, Lieutenant General Syarwan Hamid, Syamsir Siregar (from ABRI's intelligence agency), and ABRI Social Political Assistant Soewarno Adiwidjojo discuss and approve the forced takeover of the PDI offices, the disbursement of 300 million rupiah in funds and the preparation of 500 personnel armed with truncheons.
July 23, 1996
Colonel Haryanto, Lieutenant Colonel Budi Purnama and PDI leadership board members Lukman Mokoginta and Sahala Sinaga met in Cibubur, East Jakarta, to discuss the planned attack on the PDI offices. Mokoginta later tells an investigator from the National Police Headquarters that he refused to take part and withdraw from the operation.
July 24, 1996
A meeting at the Jakarta Military Regional Command (Kodam Jaya) led by Kodam Jaya Chief of Staff Brigadier General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and attended by Brigadier General Zacky A. Makarim, Colonel Haryanto, Colonel Joko Santoso and Alex Widya Siregar, makes a decision to attack and takeover the PDI offices.
July 25, 1996
President Suharto receives 11 members of the PDI DPP elected at the Medan congress at the Bina Graha building in Jakarta. Suharto says the free speech forum on Jalan Diponegoro Number 58 has been infiltrated by "setan gundul" (literally a bald devil but used to refer to people who often do bad things) and has to be stopped.
July 27, 1996
Supporters of the Medan PDI Congress take over the PDI office on Jalan Diponegoro. A bloody clash breaks out that spreads to rioting in various parts of Jakarta.
The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) recorded five people killed, 149 injured, 23 missing 124 people arrested. A total of 22 buildings caught fire and 91 motor vehicles were torched. Material losses were estimated at around 100 billion rupiah.
The government accuses the leftist People's Democratic Party (PRD) led by Budiman Sudjatmiko of being masterminds behind the riots which would later be called Kudatuli. For almost a month prior to July 27, PRD activists used the free speech form on the grounds of the PDI offices to criticise Suharto's New Order government.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Kilas Balik 28 Tahun Tragedi Kudatuli, Kudeta 27 Juli 1996 dan PDI, Siapa Tanggung Jawab?".]
