Rival PDI board's meeting disrupted<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Conflicts at the Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI) came to a head yesterday when a rival board, attempting to
\nhold a leadership meeting, became involved in a brawl with the
\nother board's supporters.<\/p>\n
Chief of the East Jakarta District Police Lt. Col. Gories Mere
\ntold reporters that the organizers of the planned meeting did not
\nposses any permits. In addition, he had not been informed about
\nthe meeting.<\/p>\n
"To conduct a national meeting like this, the committee should
\nhave a government permit," he said.<\/p>\n
Some 190 supporters of the self-appointed PDI "chief" Jusuf
\nMerukh planned to hold the two-day meeting at a youth hostel in
\nCibubur subdistrict, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The meeting's participants had been waiting for the opening
\nceremony to commence when some 200 members who support the
\nleadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the officially recognized
\nleader of PDI, invaded the venue yesterday.<\/p>\n
The two opposing camps then became involved in a brawl, which
\nleft a number of people slightly injured. The two camps were
\neventually separated, following the intervention of hundreds of
\nEast Jakarta district police.<\/p>\n
The meeting was supposed to be a prelude to an extraordinary
\ncongress during which the rival board planned to establish its
\ncomplete lineup, intended to replace Megawati's board.<\/p>\n
Following the brawl, some of the supporters of Megawati
\ninterrogated the planned meeting's participants, and found five
\nof them in the possession of membership cards of the ruling
\npolitical organization Golkar.<\/p>\n
The planned meeting's participants, coming from various
\nprovinces including South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Jakarta,
\nWest, Central and East Java, and the West Nusa Tenggara, had been
\nstaying in the youth hostel since Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Leaving the youth hostel at 3 p.m. in three buses provided by
\nthe authorities, they were taken to the Pulogadung intercity bus
\nterminal in East Jakarta for further transportation to their
\nhometowns.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, head of the PDI research and development department
\nKwik Kian Gie charged that there has been a campaign to topple
\nMegawati launched by some military district chiefs and officials.<\/p>\n
He alleged that the officials have been pressuring leaders of
\nPDI chapters and branches to push for an extraordinary congress.
\nHe did not give names.<\/p>\n
"The approaches they use vary, but their goal is the same: to
\ntopple Megawati," Kwik told The Jakarta Post. "There is real
\nevidence of this campaign."<\/p>\n
Kwik said he had also been receiving reports about such
\npressure from a number of party executives, including Sabam
\nSirait and Sukowaluyo.<\/p>\n
Kwik said that the research and development department has
\ndecided to meet the challenge head-on by sending questionnaires
\nto chiefs of the PDI chapters and branches across the country,
\nasking them whether they wish to hold the extraordinary congress.<\/p>\n
"This department must not act based on hearsay only. That's
\nwhy we are setting up a survey on whether there's a need for an
\nextraordinary congress," he said.<\/p>\n
He charged that some elements in the Armed Forces want to see
\nMegawati resign, but in "a legal manner", which is why they urged
\nthe branches and chapters to convene the meeting.<\/p>\n
Kwik said, however, he's confident that most of the branches
\nand chapters are still staunch supporters of Megawati. "There are
\na number of chapter chiefs who have sent us statements that they
\nwill be loyal to Megawati," he said.<\/p>\n
The party has 27 chapters and 305 smaller branches across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Political observer Ramlan Surbakti of Airlangga University
\nsuggested that the disputing parties in PDI break the impasse by
\nreturning all authority to the executive board, Antara reported.
\n(imn\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rival-pdi-boards-meeting-disrupted-1447893297",
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