Military supports ban on Megawati in E. Java<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The military in East Java supported the
\nprovincial administration's decision to bar Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party,
\nfrom visiting the province last week, saying that her presence
\ncould further sow unrest among the party's supporters.<\/p>\n
But Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, the chief of the Brawijaya Military
\nCommand, said there is no ban against Megawati to meet with her
\nsupporters in East Java as long as her presence does not disrupt
\nstability in the area.<\/p>\n
"As long as her intentions are good, she can come here. If her
\nvisit does not create trouble, I don't see any problem," Imam was
\nquoted by the Antara news agency as saying on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Megawati was forced to cancel her plan to install the chairman
\nof the party's East Java chapter last week because the local
\nprovincial government refused to issue a permit for the
\ngathering. Megawati was also prevented from addressing her
\nsupporters at a gathering in the East Java town of Kediri last
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
Latest reports suggest that she is planning to visit the
\nprovince this week.<\/p>\n
The party has been split in East Java, with one camp
\nsupporting her and the other, led by Latief Pudjosakti, rejecting
\nher leadership.<\/p>\n
At a regional congress to elect the party's leaders in the
\nprovince early this year, Latief won five of the eight votes from
\nthe electoral college. But Megawati exercised her prerogative as
\nthe party's chairperson to annul the result. Instead, she
\nappointed Sutjipto as the new chairman.<\/p>\n
Megawati is facing dissension not only in East Java but also
\nJakarta, West Java and, most recently, Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Imam said his main concern is stability and peace in
\nEast Java and feared that Megawati's visit to the province would
\nintensify the conflict between the two PDI camps.<\/p>\n
"I know the conditions in East Java very well. I've got
\nintelligence officers monitoring the situation. I know for sure
\nthat there is deep hatred between the Sutjipto and Latief camps."<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Imam said the media have not clearly explained the
\nsource of the conflict in the East Java chapter of PDI.<\/p>\n
He said when the election was put to a vote, Sutjipto won most
\nof the votes, but the total votes counted exceeded the number of
\nvoters. He suspected that the additional votes were smuggled in
\nwhen the electricity failed during counting.<\/p>\n
But later, when the election was entrusted to an electoral
\ncollege of eight people, Latief took five votes with the other
\nthree voting for Soetjipto.<\/p>\n
"So which one is valid? PDI should know which election was
\nconstitutional and which one was not, because they know the
\nparty's statutes," the major general said.<\/p>\n
The East Java provincial administration last week said it
\ncould not approve Megawati's plan to install Sutjipto because
\nthere were questions about the constitutionality of his election.<\/p>\n
East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman convened a meeting with
\nmedia leaders in Surabaya on Friday to clarify his position
\namidst accusations that he was meddling in the PDI's internal
\naffairs, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
"They claim we have given our blessing to Latief. What
\nblessing are they talking about?" he asked.<\/p>\n
Basofi suggested that the party's central executive board hold
\na meeting with the leaders of the East Java chapter and the
\nregency branch offices from both camps to resolve the problem.
\n(emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-supports-ban-on-megawati-in-e-java-1447893297",
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