Congress to demote Megawati

By M.M.I. Ahyani

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Participants at the government- sponsored congress of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) yesterday pondered what role to assign to Megawati Soekarnoputri, the party chief they intend to oust.

Many participants, including some senior party leaders, say Megawati's services should be reduced but not dispensed with altogether.

Soerjadi, who is almost certain to regain the party's number one slot which he lost to Megawati in 1993, and Fatmawati Achmad, the chief organizer of the congress, both suggested a seat on the party's Advisory Board for Megawati.

Megawati has denounced the congress as illegal, and fired Fatimah and 15 other central board members for organizing the event.

Fatimah and her breakaway group have claimed that they had the mandate of the party's regional branches to proceed with the assembly. Some 283 of PDI's 308 branches are taking part in the congress, which is supported, and partly financed, by the government and the military.

The congress yesterday appointed Soerjadi to head the seven- person team of "formatters", who will select the new line up of the party's central executive board.

Soerjadi's return to the helm is almost certain given that virtually all the branches said on Thursday that they wanted him to lead the party. As head of the team, he is also expected to name himself as the new party chief.

The team's selection, along with the party's program and manifesto, will be endorsed by the congress before it closes today.

The other six formatters are Buttu Hutapea (North Sumatra), Lukman F. Mokoginta (Jakarta), H.R.M. Sumario (Central Java), Massardi Kaphaat (West Kalimantan), Milson Buyung (North Sulawesi) and Antony Rafael (Irian Jaya).

Congress sources said Sumario, Hutapea, Antony and Lukman were strong candidates for the secretary-generalship, regarded as the second most powerful position in the party. It is currently held by Alexander Litaay, a Megawati loyalist.

Fatimah and the other 15 executives who broke away from Megawati are expected to be retained on the new board.

The calls to give Megawati the seat as chief of the party's advisory board were made by the Central Java and East Timor chapters when they presented their views on Thursday.

Commenting on this, Soerjadi told The Jakarta Post after Friday's prayers that in principle, he was prepared to work with anyone as long as he or she abided by the party's rules.

It was Soerjadi, who led the party between 1986 and 1993, who recruited Megawati, the daughter of former president Sukarno, into the party. The move helped bolster PDI's standing in subsequent general elections.

Fatimah, who was deputy chief on Megawati's board, said she would be happy if Megawati accepted the offer to serve in the new leadership line up.

She even promised to go personally and ask Megawati to join.

"That's how it should be. There are times when you go up, and times you go down. As a good cadre, I'm sure Mbak Mega (sister Megawati) will not object to serving in any capacity in the party," she told reporters. "Of course we need to accommodate her, although it would have to be outside the executive board."

Another issue widely debated at the congress was the failure of Megawati's board to control legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho who has continually attacked the dual function of the Armed Forces (ABRI).

Many branch leaders said Aberson's stance was not part of the party's official line, which supports ABRI's role in politics as well as in the traditional role of defense.

Soerjadi, who is currently the deputy speaker in the House of Representatives, said he had repeatedly warned Aberson about his behavior, but the latter simply ignored the warnings.

Security remained tight in the Pangkalan Masyhur Haj Dormitory, the venue of the congress.

The only incident of note was when a reporter from Persda, a Jakarta-based news agency serving provincial newspapers, was asked to surrender his press accreditation card by the organizers after being warned that his safety could not be guaranteed.

"They told me that my questions were too critical. The organizers felt that some of the participants might be prompted to attack me," the reporter, Mulawarman, told colleagues before heading back to Jakarta.

Photo on Page 2