Bull shelters under banyan tree

TASIKMALAYA, West Java: Torn apart by a leadership rift and cash strapped, the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) has found an ingenious way to raise its flags.

Along some main streets here, PDI flags fly on the same poles as Golkar's. Townspeople are calling the PDI "too poor" to buy bamboo poles for flags.

"In Tasikmalaya, the bull takes refuge under the banyan tree," a resident said over the weekend.

The bull's head is PDI's symbol and the banyan tree is Golkar's.

The PDI lost its momentum last year when its leader Megawati Soekarnoputri was replaced by Soerjadi at a government-backed rebel party congress in Medan.

Soerjadi's campaign in some provinces has been disrupted by Megawati loyalists who have taken down his supporters' flags and banners. (ahy)