Military-backed IPKI withdraws from PDI<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), still
\nhurting from recent internal leadership struggles, lost one of
\nits five factions yesterday.<\/p>\n
IPKI, an organization set up by the Armed Forces (ABRI) in
\n1954, withdrew from the nationalist Christian alliance, planning
\nto return to its mission as an independent organization, its
\nofficials said.<\/p>\n
"The 1973 fusion with the PDI hasn't allowed IPKI to develop,"
\nsaid the new IPKI chairman, Soeprapto, when announcing the
\norganization's withdrawal from the smallest of Indonesia's three
\npolitical parties.<\/p>\n
Soeprapto, elected IPKI boss in an IPKI congress last week, is
\nknown as a former Jakarta governor and member of the ruling
\npolitical organization Golkar and Pepabri, an organization of
\nABRI veterans.<\/p>\n
He claimed that he was not under pressure to withdraw the
\norganization from PDI, which is dominated by politicians of the
\nIndonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) established by former
\npresident Sukarno.<\/p>\n
IPKI, Soeprapto said, wanted to become an ordinary mass-based
\norganization whose members are free to affiliate with whatever
\npolitical organization they want.<\/p>\n
IPKI was formed on May 20, 1954, by such prominent military
\nfigures as A.H. Nasution and Gatot Subroto to safeguard the
\nimplementation of the 1945 constitution and state ideology
\nPancasila.<\/p>\n
In the 1971 election, IPKI obtained one seat in the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR). When the government "simplified" the
\npolitical party system in 1973, IPKI allied with Murba, the
\nCatholic Party, the Christian Party and PNI to merge into PDI.<\/p>\n
Soeprapto said IPKI joined PDI in 1973 on President Soeharto's
\nadvice and the move was supported by the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR).<\/p>\n
Soeprapto said when some IPKI officials, un-named, approached
\nhim to lead the organization, one of his conditions was that it
\nwithdraw from PDI and become independent.<\/p>\n
He added that he had the endorsement from Pepabri and other
\nvarious affiliations to lead IPKI.<\/p>\n
IPKI's withdrawal will most likely be a blow to PDI, whose
\nconsolidation efforts in preparation for the 1997 general
\nelection have not gone smoothly.<\/p>\n
In the last debacle, the East Java PDI chapter failed to elect
\na new chairman, provoking the government to intervene. The
\ngovernment refuses to acknowledge PDI chief Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's appointment of Sucipto as the new boss of the
\nprovincial PDI chapter. (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-backed-ipki-withdraws-from-pdi-1447893297",
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