Eros says he is ready to lead PDI-Perjuangan
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Eros Djarot, chief editor of weekly tabloid Detak, asserted his readiness to be nominated chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan) replacing Megawati Soekarnoputri who is now Indonesia's Vice President.
The party is set to elect a new chairman when it holds a congress in Semarang, Central Java, on March 26.
However, Eros acknowledged that he may not be popular enough among party supporters, claiming that much of his work was done behind the scenes in the party's Department of Research and Development.
"I will try to introduce myself to PDI-Perjuangan members and disseminate my vision and mission for the party at the same time," he told reporters here on Wednesday.
While he may not be the most well-known figure within the party, Eros is a man for all seasons having made a name for himself as a successful music arranger and movie producer.
He delved into politics after he headed Detik tabloid, which was then banned by the government in 1994.
But anyone wanting to take the reigns of PDI-Perjuangan would have to compete with Megawati's strong charisma, the party's hallmark for the past few years.
Eros on Wednesday admitted that most party members still wanted Megawati to head the party. But he suggested that it would only burden Megawati as she was already preoccupied with her duties as Vice President.
He urged the party to elect a new chairman to articulate Megawati's thoughts and ideas. He further cited the vice president's statement that she does not only belong to PDI- Perjuangan but to the whole nation.
He suggested that Megawati take up the position of the party's patron instead.
Eros warned the party that it could wane if no fresh faces were brought into the executive.
Political analyst Cornelis Lay from Gadjah Mada University concurred as he told The Jakarta Post that PDI-Perjuangan needed a new figure to brace itself for future challenges.
Cornelius, who is known as an avid PDI-Perjuangan observer, expressed his belief that Eros would fit the bill in helping to modernize the party without losing its origins as a grassroots party.
However, he warned of the possibility of internal conflicts in the party if a new figure like Eros was elected.
According to Lay, Megawati's charisma and her power to integrate the party's factions were in large part due to her heredity as President Soekarno's daughter.
Cornelius said Soekarno's other children also possessed such charisma but were unlikely to enter the political fray.
"Guntur Soekarnoputra was traumatized by practical politics after being 'cornered' by former president Soeharto's regime, while Guruh Soekarnoputra seems to have settled in arts and the cultural field," Cornelius said of Megawati's older and younger brothers.
Golkar
In Jakarta, Golkar Party chief and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung on Wednesday said the party had decided to move its congress from 2003 to 2001.
"I agreed to speed it up to 2001 for the sake of party consolidation," Akbar said.
He said consolidation is needed so the rescheduling would accommodate the 2004 general election.
When asked, he rejected suggestions that the congress was rescheduled due to certain factions within the party seeking to topple him.
"I've visited Golkar branches in the regions; there's no such move (to replace me)," Akbar claimed.
When further asked about reports that Golkar advisory member Muladi, a strong supporter of former President B.J. Habibie, wanted to replace him, Akbar merely replied: "If Muladi wants to be Golkar chairman, it's okay."
Golkar legislator Aly Yahya earlier claimed that Muladi, a former justice minister, led the movement to topple Akbar, saying that some Rp 40 billion had been allocated for the internal coup.
Muladi himself has said that he would sue Yahya for making such accusations.
But it is widely known that several Habibie supporters within the party are upset with Akbar whom they believe only half heartedly assisted the former president in last October's elections. (jun/44)