Feuding PDI camps may go separate ways

Feuding PDI camps may go separate ways

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid has
supported the idea of splitting the divided Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) into two parties if the Megawati Soekarnoputri and
Soerjadi camps cannot resolve their differences.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with President B.J.
Habibie here yesterday, Syarwan said the government could accept
the formation of two PDI parties.

"There's really no problem with a PDI I and PDI II," he said.

Megawati was ousted by Soerjadi as PDI leader in a government-
backed congress in 1996. But she and her supporters have remained
active in expressing their conviction they are the rightful
leaders of the party.

With the resignation of president Soeharto in May, the new
government appeared to back away from its rigid acknowledgement
of Soerjadi's camp as the rightful PDI.

"It's really hard for me to comment," Syarwan said when asked
about the issue of which camp the government would recognize.

"Please settle your (PDI) internal problems yourself."

Syarwan reported to the President on the progress of the
revisions of three of the political laws -- on elections,
political parties and the structure and role of the People's
Consultative Assembly and the House of Representatives --
currently being drafted by a ministry team.

According to Syarwan, 42 new political parties had now been
established but the government has not given formal recognition
to any of them.

"For now we will register them... Eventually there will be
some limitation by certain criteria." He added that a criteria
would be a requirement for a party to have branches in the
provincial level. (mds)