Sophan's resignation reveals party rift<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The resignation of legislator Sophan Sophiaan from both the House
\nof Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) may have been triggered by intense pressure to tow the
\nparty line on controversial issues, a fellow legislator said.<\/p>\n
\"We (legislators of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle, PDI Perjuangan) are being forced to follow the policies
\noutlined by the party's executive board,\" Aberson Marle Sihaloho
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Aberson, who has always maintained his critical and
\nindependent stance, even under the repressive rule of former
\npresident Soeharto, refused to reveal the policies that had been
\nforced upon PDI Perjuangan legislators, saying only that such
\ncoercion negated their role as people's representatives.<\/p>\n
Sophan Sophiaan submitted his resignation letters to the DPR
\nand MPR on Friday, but will continue as a member of the PDI
\nPerjuangan.<\/p>\n
His resignation came in the wake of a visible split in the PDI
\nPerjuangan over whether or not it should support the setting up
\nof a House special committee to investigate House Speaker Akbar
\nTandjung, a suspect in a Rp 40 billion financial scandal
\ninvolving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). The PDI Perjuangan
\nis the biggest faction in the House with 153 members.<\/p>\n
Sophan said earlier that he could no longer tolerate unfair
\ninternal rivalry and conflicts, and that the party was no longer
\nfighting for the people's interests but rather its own.<\/p>\n
Aberson said on Sunday that an elite group in the PDI
\nPerjuangan had issued a statement requiring every faction member
\nto follow \"all policies\" mandated by the party's executive board,
\nand that all PDI Perjuangan legislators had been forced to sign a
\nstatement pronouncing their agreement to abide by party policies.<\/p>\n
\"How can we follow the party's policy if we consider it to be
\nwrong? I signed the statement, but I will always uphold the
\ninterests of the people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Fellow PDI Perjuangan legislator Sukowaluyo Mintorahardjo
\nadmitted that his party had been ineffective in promoting badly-
\nneeded reforms because of conflicting interests among groups
\nwithin the party.<\/p>\n
\"We share similar concerns with Pak Sophan, but we are
\nresponding differently,\" Sukowaluyo told the Post.<\/p>\n
Both Aberson and Sukowaluyo said that they would not resign
\nfrom the House and would rather try to ensure that thorough
\nreforms were pursued.<\/p>\n
Aberson said he had suffered hard times under the repressive
\nregime of former president Soeharto, and that he was familiar
\nwith external pressure.<\/p>\n
\"Perhaps, because Sophan is my junior he can't stand the
\npressure and mental anguish,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He expressed concern over a comment made by PDI Perjuangan
\ndeputy secretary-general Pramono Anung that the faction had
\nsuffered no big loss with Sophan's resignation.<\/p>\n
Aberson suggested that Pramono should consider the reasons
\nbehind Sophan's decision to quit instead of commenting on the
\nresignation.<\/p>\n
\"Pramono said nothing of substance. He should look at the real
\nstate of the PDI Perjuangan,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sophans-resignation-reveals-party-rift-1447893297",
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