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)