Governor Basofi stands firm on PDI issue<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman reiterated
\nyesterday his refusal to recognize Sutjipto, the appointed
\nchairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)'s provincial
\nchapter in East Java.<\/p>\n
"The PDI central executive board wants me to approve
\n(Sutjipto). It has half-forced me to do so," he said here
\nyesterday. "Is it logical? Imagine forcing me to recognize its
\nNo. 043 decree (on the 1994 installment of Sutjipto)."<\/p>\n
"There's no way I would recognize the decree," he said.<\/p>\n
Basofi added that Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M.
\nhas instructed him to resolve the PDI conflict by May, when
\ncommittees begin registering voters for the general elections.<\/p>\n
However, he said, "I don't dare say when this conflict is
\ngoing to end. It all depends on the conflicting parties."<\/p>\n
According to Basofi, Yogie has said that the key to ending the
\nconflict is in the party's constitutional statutes and in-house
\nregulations.<\/p>\n
When asked if the PDI decree was constitutional, Basofi
\nretorted: "How is it constitutional?"<\/p>\n
Basofi recalled a meeting he set up to bring the two camps
\ntogether to negotiate on Dec. 29, when Sutjipto failed to show
\nup. "Now that's constitutional," he said.<\/p>\n
Sutjipto and his opponent, Latief Pudjosakti, each claims to
\nbe the chapter's legitimate chairman. The first is backed by the
\ncentral executive board, led by chairwoman Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, while it is widely understood that the latter has
\nthe support of the East Java administration.<\/p>\n
The nationalist-Christian alliance party is currently dogged
\nby various conflicts, both internal and outside of the party.<\/p>\n
In addition to the lagging conflict within the East Java
\nchapter, which prompted Basofi to exclude it from the recently-
\nestablished regional electoral committee, the rival board is
\nthreatening Megawati's leadership once again.<\/p>\n
Clara Sitompul Tambunan, who helped found the rival board last
\nyear, announced yesterday the group will hold an extraordinary
\ncongress next month to establish the board's full lineup.<\/p>\n
She did not give the exact date of the congress, but said it
\nwould be held after the Moslems celebrate Idul Fitri on Feb. 20-
\n21.<\/p>\n
Clara, who is also deputy to self-appointed chairman Jusuf
\nMerukh, was quoted by Antara as saying that the congress is
\nexpected to produce "a constitutional central executive board".<\/p>\n
She said the board led by Megawati Soekarnoputri, elected in
\nthe December 1993 congress, failed to hold the requisite
\nconvention to appoint the party's regional leaders three months
\nafter the 1993 congress as promised.<\/p>\n
"According to the organization's regulations, her leadership
\nboard is not valid," Clara said. She admitted, however, that her
\nboard also failed to meet the criteria.<\/p>\n
"There are two boards, and neither is legal," she said to
\nexplain why her board is holding the congress next month.<\/p>\n
Clara also supports Basofi's decision to exclude PDI from the
\nEast Java regional electoral committee, and suggested that other
\ngovernors do the same if the PDI chapters in their regions are
\nembroiled in similar problems.<\/p>\n
She identified the PDI chapters in West Java, South Sulawesi,
\nNorth Sumatra and South Sumatra as also having leadership
\nconflicts similar to the East Java chapter.<\/p>\n
"The governors there should be as firm as Basofi is," she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
From Bandung, the recently established National Committee for
\nthe Monitoring of General Elections said Basofi's decision to
\nexclude PDI is "proof of the campaign to weaken and abolish the
\npolitical rights of political parties to establish a fair and
\nhonest election".<\/p>\n
The committee, established by a number of non-governmental
\norganizations, also supported Megawati's leadership for
\n"consistently resisting any forms of intervention, either from
\nthe government or other forces which might reduce the party's
\nindependence". (15\/swe)<\/p>\n
Megawati -- Page 2<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/governor-basofi-stands-firm-on-pdi-issue-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }