E. Java officials at odds over PDI leadership rift

SURABAYA (JP): The leadership conflict in Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)'s East Java chapter reached a new stage yesterday when government officials issued contradictory signals as to how it should be resolved.

Chief of the Brawijaya regional military command Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo said here Monday that East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman and other local officials were sending the problem back to the Ministry of Home Affairs. "We'll let the central government take over," Imam said. "The central government will find the solutions."

Governor Basofi did not confirm Imam's statement, saying only that he and Imam were recently summoned to Jakarta to brief the ministry on the protracted conflict.

However, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. denied that officials from East Java have requested that the ministry intervene.

"Check the reports again," Yogie told journalists yesterday.

Ministry spokeswoman H.S.A. Yusacc said the reports were groundless and that provincial officials never made the request.

"The provincial officials know the rules, so it's impossible that they would just abandon their responsibilities like that," Yusacc said.

Time is running out for all parties involved as the first stage of the 1997 general election begins on May 1 with the registration of voters.

Basofi has given the party until May to resolve the impasse and come up with representatives to sit on the committee.

The provincial administration decided in January to leave the PDI unrepresented on the East Java election monitoring committee.

The rivalry involves Soetjipto, who has the backing of PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri, and Latief Pudjosakti, who claims to have the support of most of the PDI branches in East Java. Even now, the two continue to debate over who the "constitutional chairman" really is.

The government has said several times it would maintain a hands-off policy and leave the PDI to solve the conflict.

Soetjipto said yesterday that he welcomed the reported decision of Imam and Basofi to ask the government to intervene. "It seems that the provincial government is trying to handle this situation in a constitutional manner," he said.

Sources have told The Jakarta Post that Latief was not pleased with the decision but that he said he would go along with it. (15/imn)