Police raid PDI conference, draw protest<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police raided a meeting on Saturday of the East
\nJakarta branch of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) they said
\nwas illegal, rounding up three local party executives.<\/p>\n
The party leaders were released the same day. The raid
\nprovoked condemnation from PDI executives loyal to the
\ndemocratically elected chief, Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The conference, organized by Megawati loyalists, was to list
\nnames the party branch would propose to represent them in the
\nHouse of Representatives after next year's general election.<\/p>\n
Megawati, a daughter of the late president Sukarno, was
\n\"ousted\" in a congress last month by her political rivals, who
\nreceived the government and military's backing.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said about 30 police officers arrived at about
\n10:30 a.m., as the East Jakarta party leaders were opening their
\nconference by singing the national anthem, Indonesia Raya.<\/p>\n
When the politicians refused to disperse immediately as
\nordered, they heard a warning shot and then complied with the
\nofficers' request.<\/p>\n
Ester Sandina, the deputy secretary of PDI's East Jakarta
\nbranch, told The Jakarta Post that 70 police officers were seen
\noutside PDI's East Jakarta office.<\/p>\n
She reported that the branch's chairman, Tarmidi Suhardjo,
\ntreasurer Pantas Nainggolan, and an executive board member, Aziz
\nBuang, were brought to the East Jakarta Police precinct.<\/p>\n
Chief of the East Jakarta police precinct Lt. Col. Gories Mere
\ninsisted the three party leaders were only brought to his office
\nfor questioning.<\/p>\n
\"We exchanged ideas with them. We did not detain them. We
\nasked them why they organized a conference without a permit from
\nthe police,\" Mere was quoted by Kompas as saying on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The raid was the first since PDI branches all over Indonesia
\nhave conducted similar conferences to consolidate the party's
\nleadership, as Megawati called for last month. South and North
\nJakarta PDI branches held their conferences on Friday without
\nincident.<\/p>\n
Strong criticism came from Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, one of
\nMegawati's deputy chiefs. He said he did not understand why a
\nconference held in PDI's own office should have been raided.<\/p>\n
\"The conference is absolutely legal,\" Soetardjo told
\njournalists. He also questioned why the police fired a gunshot,
\nas if they were dispersing an illegal crowd.<\/p>\n
He warned that the police's action could provoke people's
\nanger, because the authorities protected last month's rebel
\ncongress and then forcibly dispersed the East Jakarta conference.<\/p>\n
Commenting on Chief of the Supreme Advisory Board Sudomo's
\noffer to mediate in the lingering conflict within PDI, Soetardjo
\nsaid he would accept it if the government cancels its recognition
\nof last month's rebel congress and its results.<\/p>\n
The government-backed congress elected Soerjadi as the \"new\"
\nPDI chairman. In addition, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie
\nS.M. and the military retracted their recognition of Megawati's
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
Yogie said last week that PDI's leadership under Megawati will
\nbe banned from taking part in the 1997 general election because
\nit has lost its legality.<\/p>\n
\"The government has long wanted to shatter PDI to pieces,\"
\nSoetardjo said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Abdurrahman Wahid -- chief of the 30-million
\nstrong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) -- reiterated his moral support for
\nMegawati \"as a close friend\".<\/p>\n
He insisted that his support for Megawati has nothing to do
\nwith the PDI or the NU. \"It's personal support,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur, better-known as Abdurrahman Wahid, is one of the
\nsignatories of the July 1 petition expressing concern about the
\nsuppression of democracy and rising political violence, including
\nthe government's alleged meddling in PDI's internal affairs.<\/p>\n
Other signatories included two former lieutenant generals and
\nmany political activists.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur said that the signatories intended to remind the
\ngovernment that the public was concerned about the latest
\npolitical developments, in which morality has been ignored.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that government officials are not offended by the
\npetition. We only want to help them solve the problem,\" he said.
\n(16\/har\/pan)<\/p>\n
Related stories on Page 2<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-raid-pdi-conference-draw-protest-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }