Persistent harassment<\/p>\n
One can only be amazed at the lengths to which the government
\nis prepared to go to in trying to demolish the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) led by Megawati Sukarnoputri. President
\nB.J. Habibie is repeating the mistakes of his predecessor
\nSoeharto with his persistent harassment of the PDI Perjuangan, as
\nthe Megawati camp is popularly called to distinguish it from the
\nPDI executive board created by the government. Just as during the
\nSoeharto years, the harder the current government tries, the
\nworse its image gets, both at home and abroad, while at the same
\ntime, the more popular Megawati becomes.<\/p>\n
One would think that the government would have learned its
\nlesson by now. But then, we may be overstating the intellectual
\ncapacity of both past and present governments.<\/p>\n
In the latest round of harassment, the government is trying to
\nshift the venue of a congress the PDI Perjuangan is planning to
\nhold next week away from Bali. The reason given is that Bali is
\nIndonesia's prime tourist destination and that foreigners could
\nbe discouraged from going to the island, should the event turn
\nrowdy and violent.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, many PDI congresses in recent years have turned
\ninto physical clashes between the party's bickering camps,
\nevidence of which can be seen as recently as last month, when a
\ncongress held by the government-backed PDI executive board in
\nPalu, Central Sulawesi, was marred by riots. However, a closer
\nlook at these incidents reveals that the bickering, and hence the
\nviolence, has resulted because of heavy-handed government
\nintervention. Three congresses held by the party in 1993 turned
\nviolent as a result of the government's attempts to prevent
\nMegawati's election to the party chair, against the wishes of the
\nparty's rank and file. In 1996, a breakaway group, backed by the
\ngovernment and the military, held a congress and ousted Megawati.<\/p>\n
Now, under the multiparty system, there is no reason for
\nanyone to quarrel about which of the two camps has the legitimate
\nclaim to represent the PDI. They are essentially two different
\nparties with different leaders and supporters, but with the same
\nname. One is no more and no less legitimate than the other
\nbecause their ultimate legitimacy will be decided upon by the
\npeople at next year's general election. That means there is
\nlittle likelihood of infighting at the PDI congress.<\/p>\n
The government's warning that the Bali meeting could turn
\nriotous and drive tourists away is unfounded. That is, unless the
\ngovernment knows something that the rest of the nation doesn't
\nwith regards to plans to disrupt the meeting. Even if this is the
\ncase, then it's the job of the police to ensure the safety of
\ncongress participants and maintain peace and order.<\/p>\n
The attempt to shift the congress away from Bali also begs
\nbasic constitutional questions. Does this mean that Bali should
\nbe free from political activities for the sake of tourists'
\ndollars? What does this say about the rights of the Balinese
\npeople?<\/p>\n
One can't help but feel that the government's real intention
\nis to deny the PDI Perjuangan its right to assemble, and that the
\ngovernment is likely come up with similar excuses if any other
\nvenue is chosen: Jakarta is too close to the nation's business
\nheart, Yogyakarta too close to the nation's art and cultural
\ncenter, and Surabaya too close to vital industrial sites.<\/p>\n
The attempt to ban the PDI congress is certainly consistent
\nwith the persistent and systematic way in which the government
\nhas harassed Megawati and her supporters since 1996. Some of her
\nsupporters have been labeled communists and jailed; others were
\nsubjected to physical abuse -- on this count one immediately
\nrecalls the bloody attack on the PDI's Jakarta headquarters by a
\nbunch of thugs in July 1996 while the police stood back and
\nwatched. Megawati and her camp were also barred from contesting
\nthe 1997 election.<\/p>\n
President Habibie has not been much better in his treatment of
\nMegawati and her supporters. In July, his government barred
\nMegawati from holding a rally in Jakarta's Senayan Sports Palace,
\na venue subsequently used by many of the newly established
\npolitical parties for their rallies.<\/p>\n
The authorities have tried virtually everything in their
\npower, from intimidation and disinformation to terror campaigns,
\nto destroy Megawati and her camp. Not only have they failed, they
\nhave inadvertently made the PDI Perjuangan stronger and more
\npopular. Should Megawati win the election next year -- assuming
\nthat the PDI Perjuangan is allowed to contest it -- she will have
\nthe government to thank for her success.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that this harassment will
\ncome to an end, and there is no telling how far the government is
\nprepared to go, especially if it becomes exasperated, to achieve
\nits goal of destroying Megawati's PDI. We hope the government
\nwill soon come to its senses and stop seeing Megawati and her PDI
\nPerjuangan as a threat, and instead treat them as one of many
\npolitical parties preparing to contest next year's general
\nelection. Whether they win or not, that's for the voters decide.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/persistent-harassment-1447893297",
"image": ""
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