Yogie, Feisal keep hands off PDI's affairs<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. and
\nArmed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung yesterday kept out of the
\naffairs of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) following a
\nmilitary statement that one of its leaders may have a past
\ncommunist link.<\/p>\n
\"It's PDI's internal affair,\" Gen. Feisal told reporters
\nbefore attending a cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
Yogie said he had not received the official report from the
\nSiliwangi Military Command in West Java which announced early
\nthis week it had discovered that the chairman of the province's
\nPDI chapter was involved in communist activities in the 1960s.<\/p>\n
\"Once I receive the report we'll study it. We'll follow the
\nrules from there, including what action to take,\" said Yogie, who
\nwas also attending the cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
The allegation first came from the opponents of Djadjang
\nKurniadi, the PDI West Java chief. The local military then
\nchecked his background and confirmed that Djadjang is suspected
\nof once having had communist links.<\/p>\n
The announcement by the Siliwangi command on Monday prompted
\nPDI chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri to call an emergency
\nmeeting at the party's headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday. The
\nmeeting however had to be canceled because it did not meet the
\nrequired quorum.<\/p>\n
Megawati said PDI had not been officially informed about the
\nfinding and deplored the Siliwangi chief spokesman Lt. Col.
\nHerman Ibrahim having gone public with the information, by
\nholding a media conference, without even trying to talk to
\nDjadjang beforehand.<\/p>\n
\"Have compassion for his family,\" she said as quoted by the
\nAntara news agency.<\/p>\n
The least they could do is to ask him about the allegation
\nbefore making it public, she added.<\/p>\n
Megawati, whose own leadership has been undermined by internal
\ndissensions, has sided with Djadjang in the dispute within the
\nWest Java chapter of the party. If the allegation of a past
\ncommunist link is confirmed, it will virtually finish Djadjang's
\ncareer.<\/p>\n
According to the Siliwangi command, Djadjang was a member of
\nthe pro-communist camp in the Indonesian Nationalist Party. In
\n1965, he along with three other men openly supported the
\ncommunist-inspired coup against President Sukarno.<\/p>\n
He managed to clear his tracks by obtaining a letter from the
\nSiliwangi command clearing him of any communist past and which
\nstated he had been working as an informant for the military. The
\nletter was issued by a military officer who later turned out to
\nbe a communist himself, so the allegation goes.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, H.S.A. Yussac, the chief spokesman for the Ministry
\nof Home Affairs yesterday said that Djadjang will be allowed to
\ndefend and clear his name through the courts of law if he feels
\nthat the allegation has discredited him.<\/p>\n
\"It's his decision. He has the right to defend himself,\"
\nYussac told Antara.<\/p>\n
But he questioned PDI's pledge of loyalty to the state
\nideology Pancasila and its commitment to reject communism in all
\nforms. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yogie-feisal-keep-hands-off-pdis-affairs-1447893297",
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