Megawati's PDI-P opponents open office<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is facing an
\nimminent split, with members opposed to the leadership of
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri ready to set up a new party should they
\nfail to oust the PDI-P leader.<\/p>\n
The splinter group officially opened an office on Jl.
\nKertanegara in South Jakarta to consolidate support for their
\nmove against Megawati.<\/p>\n
Among this group of dissenters is oil businessman Arifin
\nPanigoro, former state minister for state enterprises Laksamana
\nSukardi, Roy BB Janis and Sophan Sophiaan.<\/p>\n
Other senior PDI-P politicians -- Abdul Madjid, Muchtar
\nBuchori, Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo, Noviantika Nasution and Didik
\nSupriyanto -- are also part of the opposition camp, called the
\nPDI-P Reform Movement.<\/p>\n
All of these figures attended Thursday's opening of their new
\noffice.<\/p>\n
The movement was launched last year to reform the PDI-P
\nfollowing its disappointing showings in the legislative and
\npresidential elections. Members of the movement want former
\npresident Megawati ousted as head of the party to make way for
\nfresh leadership.<\/p>\n
Megawati retained control of the PDI-P when she was reelected
\nto the party's top post during a national congress in Bali
\nearlier this month.<\/p>\n
Her reelection put the reform movement at stake because its
\nkey players -- Arifin Panigoro, Laksamana Sukardi, Roy B.B.
\nJanis, Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo, Noviantika Nasution and Didik
\nSupriyanto -- are now facing dismissal from the party.<\/p>\n
PDI-P secretary-general Pramono Anung Wibowo said the central
\nboard would give the \"deserters the opportunity to come back\" and
\napologize, otherwise they would be dismissed from the party.<\/p>\n
In response, the reform group warned the central board that it
\nwould breakaway and form a new party if the dismissals were
\ncarried out.<\/p>\n
\"The pro-reform group is open to reconciliation on the two
\nmain conditions that the party's statutes are enforced and
\ninternal democratization is carried out,\" Roy said.<\/p>\n
He said his movement had gained increasing support from many
\nof the party's regional chapters across the country.<\/p>\n
Arifin Panigoro said the movement was pressing ahead with its
\nagenda to reform the PDI-P, which is now the second-largest
\npolitical party after the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
\"Political support for us is flowing in from provinces in
\nSumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua. Let
\ndemocratization take a concrete shape,\" Arifin said.<\/p>\n
He said his team was in contact with numerous regional
\nbranches of the PDI-P to seek an extraordinary congress,
\napparently to unseat Megawati.<\/p>\n
Arifin said he wanted to establish a new political party but
\nhis colleagues were still focused on reforming and democratizing
\nthe PDI-P.<\/p>\n
\"The chance for reconciliation appears to be distant because
\nof the widening gap and differences between the opposing sides.
\nWe should go to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to
\nregister a new party if the democratization (of the PDI-P)
\nstalls,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In a speech during Thursday's opening of the new office,
\nLaksamana said most PDI-P supporters were disappointed with the
\npro-reform group for failing to pursue its agenda within the
\nparty.<\/p>\n
\"The PDI-P was set up in 1998 to topple former president
\nSoeharto and his authoritarian regime. But now the party is
\npracticing authoritarianism by nominating a single candidate at
\nthe recent congress, threatening to dismiss members struggling to
\nmove the party forward and granting its top leader privileges.<\/p>\n
\"The biggest irony is that the party is not committed to
\nreform, as shown at the recent congress where the party leader,
\nwho was defeated in the last presidential election, was reelected
\nwith the aid of old faces who have proven themselves incompetent
\nin carrying out their tasks,\" Laksamana said.<\/p>\n
Laksamana said the PDI-P was in dire need of younger members
\nto reunite the party and lead it to victory in the 2009 general
\nelection.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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