Megawati still in charge, government says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday refused to be drawn
\ninto the latest internal conflict of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty (PDI), and stressed it still regards Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nas the chairperson of the party.<\/p>\n
Responding to questions about the emergence of a rival PDI
\nexecutive board, chaired by Yusuf Merukh, Director General for
\nSocial and Political Affairs at the Ministry of Home Affairs said
\nthe government still recognizes the board led by Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"That's perfectly clear. The government sees it in legal
\nterms,\" Sutoyo said, Antara reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sutoyo maintained that the establishment of a rival board was
\nthe problem of PDI to solve. Megawati, he added, should be able
\nto resolve the problem without resorting to help from the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"My advice to them is that they should communicate. They
\nshould show wisdom and deliberate to end the problem. Our
\npolitical culture dictates it this way.\"<\/p>\n
He added that it has always been the policy of the government
\nto keep its hands off the affairs of the political parties.<\/p>\n
Sutoyo expressed his surprise that the party had remained
\ndivided, recalling that the election of Megawati as the party
\nchairperson in December 1993 was thought to have ended the
\nbickering within the party once and for all.<\/p>\n
The formation of the rival board was announced last week by
\nGerry Mbatemooy, who had earlier been expelled by Megawati from
\nher executive board for failing to fall in line in a number of
\ninternal disputes within PDI.<\/p>\n
Gerry said he had taken the measure to save the party which he
\nsaid was endangered by the infiltration of former communists.<\/p>\n
The communist allegations came after the West Java Military
\ncommand announced two weeks ago that the chairman of the local
\nchapter of PDI is strongly suspected to have past communist
\nlinks.<\/p>\n
Yusuf Merukh, a senior PDI politician known to have agitated
\nprevious PDI leaders, was quick to accept the offer to chair the
\nrival board and alleges that there are at least 400 former
\ncommunists holding ranks within the party.<\/p>\n
Most of the other figures named onto the board said they were
\nnever consulted before the appointment and were waiting to hear
\nfor a formal explanation before making their positions known.<\/p>\n
Conflicts between the two boards will likely occur today as
\nthey fight for the right to occupy the party's headquarters in
\nJl. Diponegoro after the long New Year's holiday.<\/p>\n
The office was all quiet yesterday with a notice posted,
\nsigned by Megawati's Secretary General Alex Litaay, that it will
\nreopen today.<\/p>\n
In anticipation of further trouble at the PDI headquarters,
\nthe United Development Party, whose headquarters lie adjacent to
\nthat of PDI, was erecting a brick barrier yesterday to divide the
\ncommon parking lot in front of their offices.<\/p>\n
The PDI headquarters have been the target of a number of
\ndemonstrations in recent weeks held by members disgruntled by the
\nleadership of Megawati.<\/p>\n
A noted political observer said yesterday that the government
\nshould not give support of any kind to the rival PDI executive
\nboard because it would simply muddle the situation.<\/p>\n
Afan Gaffar of the Gadjah Mada University said the rival board
\nwould simply fade away with time because it lacked grass roots
\nsupport, that is \"unless it gets outside support.\"<\/p>\n
He said the establishment of the rival board was an unwelcome
\ndevelopment for Indonesian politics because it got in the way of
\nthe party's efforts to consolidate in the run up to the 1997
\nelection.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto, in his end of the year speech, expressed
\nhis concern that some parties are having problems in their
\nconsolidation efforts, Afan said.(emb)<\/p>",
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