Endorsement of PDI candidates protested

Endorsement of PDI candidates protested

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of supporters of the overthrown leader
of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri
demonstrated outside the General Election Institute yesterday
protesting the endorsement of a list of legislature candidates
submitted by government-backed leader Soerjadi.

"The institute has unlawfully endorsed Soerjadi's list of
candidates," said Roy B.B. Janis who led the demonstration.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the institute's
officials, district police and military chiefs, Roy said the
list of legislature candidates drawn up and submitted earlier by
Soerjadi to the institute failed to meet the aspirations of
millions of PDI members across the country.

"We do not recognize Soerjadi as PDI chairman. He represents
nobody but himself," he said.

Roy said the officials would deliver the petition to the
institute's chairperson.

Megawati filed a lawsuit against the General Election
Institute and its chairman Moch. Yogie S.M. in October after the
institute refused to accept her list of legislature candidates
for the May general election.

The institute rejected her list in September but accepted the
list drawn up by Soerjadi, who toppled her in a government-backed
rebel congress in the North Sumatra capital of Medan in June.
Soerjadi did not include Megawati or her loyalists in his list of
candidates.

Under Indonesian electoral law, only candidates nominated by
the three official contestants -- the ruling political
organization Golkar, the Moslem-based United Development Party
and the PDI -- are allowed to take part in the general election,
due on May 29 this year.

Megawati's lawsuit is still being heard at the Central Jakarta
District Court.

Arriving in groups in about 100 vehicles, the supporters
staged the demonstration in the central branch of the institute's
car park, while their representatives met with officials.

"Long live PDI. Long live Megawati," they shouted.

They also displayed banners and posters condemning Soerjadi
for causing the rift in the PDI.

When asked why the petition was only issued now, Roy said it
was because they found out about the institute's endorsement of
the list of candidates only recently.

After the meeting, the delegation and supporters marched to
the Jakarta office of the General Election Institute.

Here, they failed to meet the officials and were only received
by City Hall security guards.

Another protest was staged by some 1,000 Megawati's supporters
in Semarang, who rallied at the Central Java governor's office
asking the local administration to reject applications for all
Soerjadi's and his supporters' political activities in the
province.

They failed to meet the governor or officials of the
provincial legislative council. They were received, instead, by
an official at the Central Java office for Social and Political
Affairs.

A protest also took place in the East Java capital of
Surabaya, where hundreds of Megawati's loyalists went to the
provincial office of the General Election Committee demanding it
remain impartial in handling the internal dispute of PDI. They
also wanted to discuss preparations for the May election.

The Surabayans failed to meet with the committee's senior
officials and were only able to deliver their petition to
officials on duty. (imn/har/25)