A lesson from Palu<\/p>\n
What many Indonesians had feared for weeks has become reality:
\nA national congress organized by the government-backed Soerjadi
\nfaction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) that opened in
\nPalu, Central Sulawesi, on Tuesday has resulted in violence.
\nSupporters of the party's ousted leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri,
\nhad descended on the city from near and far for the specific
\npurpose of obstructing the meeting. At least 17 people, including
\na few police officers, have been reported injured over the last two
\ndays, compelling the congress' organizers to cut the meeting
\nshort by no less than two days from its scheduled five days.<\/p>\n
The rift in PDI began with the ouster of Megawati as the
\nparty's chairwoman in 1996 by a rival faction led by Soerjadi in
\na government-backed congress in Medan. The conflict has since
\ncontinued to smolder, flaring up occasionally and unsettling the
\nnation's political arena. Although the government has persisted
\nin recognizing only Soerjadi as the party's legitimate leader,
\nsuch allegiance is not shared by the majority of Indonesians.
\nInstead of waning as a result of her removal, Megawati's
\npopularity has soared among the masses. She is perceived as not
\nonly the legitimate, democratically elected leader of the party,
\nbut a victim of gross injustice perpetrated by the government.<\/p>\n
The violence in Palu is the latest flare-up in this drawn-out
\nconflict, sparked by what Megawati supporters see as an act of
\nprovocation by the Soerjadi camp. Under the circumstances, the
\neasiest and most tempting thing to do is to try to blame the two
\ncamps within the party for causing the trouble. The difficulty,
\nthough, is that both groups have their own argument to justify
\ntheir stance. The Soerjadi camp considers itself as the only
\nlegitimate representative of the party since it has government
\nrecognition. The Megawati camp, on the other hand, can rightly
\nargue that the 1996 Medan congress was invalid since it was held
\nin violation of party statutes, even though it enjoyed the
\nblessings of the government.<\/p>\n
The peculiar element in all this is the part being played by
\nthe Habibie administration. Wanting as it is in public
\nconfidence, the government had an excellent chance at its
\ninception to demonstrate its statesmanship by admitting and
\ncorrecting the injustice carried out against Megawati by the old
\nregime. Instead, the Habibie administration chose to cling to
\nwhat it refers to as the \"legality principle\" -- a formal
\nlegality created merely by the unilateral recognition from an
\nauthoritarian regime -- in total disregard of prevailing
\nrealities.<\/p>\n
Whether we like it or not, the fact cannot be denied that
\napart from being lawfully and democratically elected in a party
\ncongress, Megawati has the trust of the majority of Indonesians.
\nThe crushing defeat suffered by PDI under Soerjadi in the last
\ngeneral election is a telling example of Megawati's political
\nstature in the country.<\/p>\n
If more proof is needed, a survey held last month by the
\nUniversity of Indonesia's department of social and political
\nsciences, in conjunction with the Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicated
\nresearch group, showed that out of a random sample of 1,000
\npeople, 11.3 percent of the respondents chose Megawati as the
\nnext president -- only slightly below Amien Rais, who scored 12.8
\npercent. In comparison, President Habibie only garnered 8.2
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Another recent poll, held by private television station RCTI,
\nhad Megawati outperform all of the other potential candidates
\nwith 38 percent of the respondents supporting her.<\/p>\n
Considering all of this, the government's persistence in
\ndenying Megawati her rightful place in politics is difficult to
\ncomprehend. Unfortunately, the impression this might create is
\nthat the Habibie administration is unable to cast off the fears
\nthat the old regime had regarding Megawati: that is that she is a
\nthreat to the preservation of the status quo. Unless this is
\ntrue, surely it will be in the government's interest to start
\nadopting a more sensible attitude and administer justice where
\njustice is due.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-lesson-from-palu-1447893297",
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