Fatimah Achmad -- a tough lone fighter

Fatimah Achmad -- a tough lone fighter

JAKARTA (JP): Colleagues call her a tough politician.

Fatimah Achmad is hardly a new face in Indonesian politics, a
field she chose over teaching and a civil servants career, and
perhaps even family life, in the 1960s.

Although she has been around for sometime, the 56-year old
spinster from Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, is still
relatively unknown.

As one of the few female politicians here, she certainly
stands out in the House of Representatives. Her position as chief
of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction, which she has
held since 1987, has also afforded her power and influence.

But they have been limited to within the confines of the
House's and the party's limited sphere.

Fatimah's claim to greater popularity and public recognition
have been eclipsed by the rapid rise and enduring popularity of
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the current PDI chair.

There appears to be room for only one queen in the PDI, and
Megawati has claimed that crown in spite of her lesser experience
in party politics. Megawati joined the PDI in 1986, and was swept
to the number one position in 1993 by popular vote after three
congresses to settle the party leadership.

Fatimah worked her way up to the top slowly.

She joined the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) in the 1960s
in North Sumatra, giving up a teaching career and a job as a
spiritual advisor to the Armed Forces in North Sumatra. In 1964,
she was deputy secretary of the PNI chapter in the province.

She came to Jakarta for a brief stint in the Provisional
People's Consultative Assembly in 1968. She returned to serve the
party in her home province afterwards. When PNI was merged with
four other parties in 1973, she stayed on to become one of the
party's regional leaders.

She moved to Jakarta when she was appointed as one of the
deputies of the PDI central executive board. Following the 1987
election, she was appointed to head the PDI faction in the House
of Representatives. Despite changes in leadership, Fatimah
managed to retain both jobs to this day.

Politics is in her blood. Her father, who died in 1918, was a
politician during the Dutch colonial days, and her elder sister
was also a member of the PNI.

She may be tough on her colleagues, but close friends say her
unmarried status doesn't stop her from talking about family life.
She has dozens of adopted children whom she loves talking about.

Asked whether it was her choice to remain single, Fatimah,
said in an interview with Kompas in 1993: "I haven't found the
right man yet. To this day, I've dedicated my life to the
people."

Now Fatimah appears to have come out of Megawati's shadow.

Last week, she led a group of dissenters in PDI's central
executive board to push for a new congress. In the congress,
tentatively planned for June 20 in Medan, they want Megawati to
put her leadership to the test in front of the party's central
and regional leaders.

Fatimah has insisted that the congress was mandated by the
party's constitution, pointing out that Megawati, in her three-
year tenure, never completely resolved the internal bickering
that dogs the party.

Fatimah claims she has the support of many of the party's
regional leaders. She certainly has the support of the government
and the military. With Megawati refusing to comply, some
newspapers now say the conflict is a clash between the two women.

Fatimah claims she has no ambition to replace Megawati. Her
position still represents a startling about-face from being the
loyal and trusted aide of Megawati the past three years.

Many believe that Fatimah is now paving the way for the return
of Soerjadi, whom Megawati ousted in the 1993 congress, to the
PDI throne. Soerjadi, now deputy speaker in the House of
Representatives, supports the planned congress and does not hide
his ambition to lead the party once again.

If Fatimah is not vying for the number one position herself,
she would perhaps be the right person to deliver it to Soerjadi.

Fatimah chaired the first of three congresses that the PDI
held in 1993 to elect its leaders. That congress in Medan
returned the chairmanship to Soerjadi, but the result was later
annulled.

It was also in Medan that Fatimah made her reputation among
colleagues and foes as a tough lady. Just as the congress
threatened to get out of control, she banged her gavel to
announce that the meeting was adjourned.

When asked about her actions a few days later, she told the
Kompas interviewer: "I acted on impulse, and feeling." (emb)