Bomber Disappointed with Election Result
Tuesday, 15 April, 2008 | 13:57 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, through his spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng said that he received a report on the election for regional leaders in West Java. The President commented on big political parties that do not win the election. “Supporting parties should evaluate themselves on why they did not win this election,” said Mallarangeng quoting Yudhoyono in Jakarta, yesterday.

The President regretted the bombing of the Molotov cocktail at the office of Regional Representatives (DPD) of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) yesterday. PKS and the National Mandate Party (PAN) are supporters for candidates of Ahmad Heryawan and Dede Yusuf, who are leading the election.

The PKS president, Tifatul Sembiring, said that the bombing was done by someone without a special purpose. “We also had a bombing when we were in Depok,” he said.

The bombing occurred in May last year, more than one year after Nurmahmudi Ismail worked as mayor in Depok. There was no one arrested in that incident.

The police arrested 28-year–old Didin Tajudin. “Let's wait for the investigative report,” said Tifatul. He did not see the correlation of the bombing with the political interest due to their winning in the regional election in West Java on Sunday.

The bombing took place in Bandung at 13.00 pm at the office of DPD PKS where the candidates of Ahmad Heryawan-Dede Yusuf once worked.

The bomber threw the bottle containing gasoline from the street to the office's enclosure and it ignited . It burned three motorbikes parked in the yard. The staff were inside the office when it happened. “I was receiving a visitor,” said the general secretary of DPD PKS for the Bandung District, Supriatna.

Thirty-two year old Lucky Kretaperdana, owner of a cell phone store at the front of the office, saw Didin standing next to a blue Vespa scooter . “He was alone,” she said. Didin was arrested.

Supriatna asked his identity and reason for the bombing. But there was no information obtained from him, including his ID card. He was then taken to the police office in Ketapang.

The police deputy for West Java, Brigadier General Supriyadi Usman, did not give further information.

According to Ahmad Dofiri, head of sub-regional police for Bandung, the bomber used four bottles containing gasoline.

Regarding the motive, “He just said he was disappointed,” said Dofiri.

TOMI | AHMAD FIKRI | AKBAR TRI | FANNY