The PDI puzzle<\/p>\n
It cannot be denied that the internal conflicts plaguing the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI) have worsened with the recent
\ncontroversy surrounding the party's secretary-general, Alex
\nLitaay. His four-day disappearance happened at the same time that
\nparty rebel Jusuf Merukh claimed that the secretary-general had
\ndefected to his camp. Jusuf, as may be known, has set up a self-
\nstyled leadership for the party, which has been notorious for its
\nlatent internal squabbles since its birth in 1973.<\/p>\n
When Alex emerged on Sunday, he claimed he had been abducted
\nby rebel party activists and forced to sign a statement that he
\nhad joined the rival camp. He refused to elaborate.<\/p>\n
Worse still, no PDI leaders have come forward to shed any
\nlight on Alex's mysterious disappearance. And this has led the
\npublic to guess about what really happened and how it could be
\nthat our politicians have come to resort to criminal acts in
\ntheir efforts to achieve political gains.<\/p>\n
In 1991, several PDI activists were involved in the kidnapping
\nand beating of two professed activists of the party. The 20
\nattackers were said to have wielded knives, machetes and sickles
\nto enforce their actions.<\/p>\n
It seems that as crisis rolls on within the PDI, the quality
\nof too many of the party's leaders is radically declining. The
\nseniors among them have demonstrated their lack of respect for
\ndemocratic values, while the younger ones are impatient. Some of
\nthem have set up self-styled leadership boards both in Jakarta
\nand in the provinces.<\/p>\n
It appears that the alleged kidnapping of the secretary-
\ngeneral will remain a mystery for some time to come -- or perhaps
\nforever -- because the police say they cannot investigate until
\nparty leaders file a complaint. And there is no indication yet
\nthat anyone in the party is about to satisfy the public's
\ncuriosity about the matter.<\/p>\n
PDI leaders may believe that they can gain political benefits
\nby leaving it the situation clouded in mystery, while deputy
\nchairman Aberson Marle Sihaloho accuses the government and Armed
\nForces of engineering the internal problems hitting his party as
\npart of efforts to ensure an absolute majority for Golkar in the
\n1997 general election. Of course, this charge has been denied by
\nthe authorities.<\/p>\n
PDI's inaction on the so-called kidnapping has reinforced the
\nair of mystery which surrounds the party. On one side of the
\nissue is the government, which vows to never intervene into a
\nparty's internal affairs -- which includes the problem of the
\nemergence of rival party leaderships, set up by rebellious
\npoliticians. But it remains a mystery as to how these rebels have
\nalways managed to get police permits to hold their meetings,
\nsomething which in some cases has been quite difficult to
\naccomplish for Megawati Soekarnoputri, the party's chairwoman.<\/p>\n
This apparent double standard and the immaturity of the party
\nactivists concerned have added to the hurdles which the PDI has
\nto confront in its effort to make itself a viable check-and-
\nbalance power in our political system.<\/p>\n
Any political entity, however small its faction in the House
\nof Representatives, deserves the freedom to develop without
\noutside intervention. However small, each political group has an
\nimportant role to play in the preservation of this country's
\npolitical stability.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-pdi-puzzle-1447899208",
"image": ""
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