Conflicts cloud Megawati's future<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
\nardimas@thejakartapost.com<\/p>\n
A recent admission by a respected Cabinet member that the
\nruling Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) was the most
\ncorrupt of all political parties merely confirmed the depths of
\ncorruption here.<\/p>\n
The hard-hitting self-criticism launched by Kwik Kian Gie,
\nMinister of National Development Planning and head of the party's
\nresearch department, was challenged by the party's top
\nexecutives, who scrambled to query the validity of his data and
\nthe forum in which he communicated his allegations.<\/p>\n
However Mochtar Buchori, a scholar and fellow party executive,
\nsaid he believed that a rational man of high integrity like Kwik
\nhad carefully pondered the consequences of his words and that he
\ndid it purely to save the party from collapse.<\/p>\n
The fact that Kwik finally backed off, saying that he was
\nwrong to label the party as the most corrupt and refused to
\ncounter challenges from his critics, according to Mochtar, was
\nthat he did this all out of respect for, and his desire to serve,
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, both as president and party chairwoman.<\/p>\n
Kwik said PDI Perjuangan was in danger of disarray due to
\nrampant corruption and that it may break down in the next polls.<\/p>\n
Yet long before the shock waves raised by Kwik, the party's
\nexecutives, members and supporters, who contributed greatly to
\nthe stunning 33 percent votes garnered by Megawati in 1999
\nelection, have one by one shunned the party for failing to live
\nup to its pledge to fight for the poor. It has also fallen short
\nof expectations in solving internal conflicts and combating
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
The exodus includes Dimyati Hartono, Megawati's close aide and
\na professor of constitutional law, former speech writer Eros
\nDjarot and a group led by businessman Handoko, who have each
\nformed their own parties. In Java, the power base of PDI
\nPerjuangan, many party executives have joined other parties.<\/p>\n
An informed source disclosed that even at the party's central
\nboard, executives were divided into at least three camps, each
\nwith their own political agendas and business interests. The
\nstrongest is said to be the group which is loyal to Taufik
\nKiemas, Megawati's husband.<\/p>\n
The party friction has also reportedly affected familial ties
\namong Sukarno's offsprings. Sukmawati Soekarnoputri has long
\njoined the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) and Rachmawati
\nSoekarnoputri established the Pioneer Party (Partai Pelopor),
\ncooperating with former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.<\/p>\n
One of the PDI Perjuangan's largest blunders was its decision
\nto endorse the re-election of Army Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso, a key
\nfigure in the brutal attack on PDI headquarters in Jakarta in
\n1996, in which dozens of party cadres became martyrs.<\/p>\n
Another blunder was last month's government decision to
\nsimultaneously raise fuel prices and electricity and phone rates
\namid the gloomy economy -- although the original goal to reduce
\nsubsidies which benefit the rich was laudable.<\/p>\n
The price hikes were unacceptable as the announcement came on
\nthe heels of the government's highly controversial plan on the
\nrelease and discharge (R&D) policy against problematic bankers.
\nThe policy will in effect absolve the business tycoons which have
\nsent the country into virtual bankruptcy, through their abuse of
\nthe liquidity credit provided by the government to salvage their
\nbanks from debts and criminal charges. PDI Perjuangan's decisions
\non Sutiyoso and R&D smacked of corruption and collusion.<\/p>\n
The party's achievement in financial gains from a poor party
\nin 1999 into a wealthy institution in just four years has also
\nraised eyebrows, as seen by its luxurious headquarters.<\/p>\n
The accumulation of this wealth and allegations of involvement
\nof PDI Perjuangan executives in corruption will become ammunition
\nfor other parties to attack Megawati in the 2004 election
\ncampaign. The party can no longer be defensive by continuing to
\nclaim it represents the oppressed or is a nationalistic party, or
\nclaim Megawati's legacy as daughter of founding president
\nSukarno.<\/p>\n
The military is projected to take a neutral stand in line with
\nits new mission as the country's guardian, and cannot be expected
\nto stand by PDI Perjuangan as it did with Golkar.<\/p>\n
The other parties, including Golkar, National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) and National Awakening Party (PKB) will most likely attack
\nMegawati by exposing her government's weaknesses, as they had
\ndone by supporting the nationwide protests on utility prices.<\/p>\n
Big parties have also drafted their campaign programs while
\nPDI Perjuangan still grapples with internal conflicts and
\ncorruption issues.<\/p>\n
The Golkar Party has fielded alternative candidates for its
\nnext presidential candidate to gauge public response, realizing
\nthe complex problem dogging chairman Akbar Tandjung, who is
\nembroiled in a Rp 40 billion corruption scandal involving the
\nNational Logistics Agency.<\/p>\n
Golkar, which has trained 1.2 million cadres in a bid to
\nreturn, will also maximize the growing disappointment in the
\ngovernment and an illusion with the stable past under Soeharto to
\ngain votes among the grassroots and business circles.<\/p>\n
PAN has stepped up its support of Amien's campaign for the
\npresidency by portraying him as a pluralistic and visionary
\nleader; the latest move is portraying him as "Mr. Clean" as shown
\nin the new PAN calendar, given to anyone for free.<\/p>\n
The direct 2004 presidential election, the first to be held
\nhere, will also benefit presidential candidates from Golkar and
\nAmien, who are more communicative, skillful in public debates and
\nrich in ideas compared to Megawati.<\/p>\n
Will the election defy predictions by some quarters, including
\nforeign diplomats, that Megawati will be reelected with the
\nsupport of her diehard supporters from the low income bracket in
\nJava and Bali? This sounds a humiliating assumption to the poor.<\/p>",
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