Government to keep hands off PDI conflicts

Government to keep hands off PDI conflicts

JAKARTA (JP): The government made a fresh call on the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) yesterday to resolve its
leadership conflicts without government intervention.

Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. told a hearing with
House Commission II for home affairs that the government would
leave the PDI to solve the conflict within its East Java chapter.

"It's not possible for East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman to
pick just one of the two rival boards," Yogie said.

"The stance of the central government remains the same, and
that is that the PDI rift is an internal affair," said the
ministry's Director General of Social Political Affairs, Soetoyo
N.K., who accompanied Yogie in the meeting.

"The ministry also sees it as a regional problem to be settled
by Governor Basofi Soedirman, in his capacity as the patron of
provincial politics," Soetoyo said.

PDI legislator Subagyo said Yogie and his staff were probably
given "wrong information" by the East Java authorities regarding
the conflict.

He said Soetoyo's explanation of how the party came to have
two boards in 1994 was "wrong".

During the hearing yesterday, Soetoyo recounted for the
legislators the chronology of the conflict, beginning with the
1994 chapter congress which elected Soetjipto, one of the rival
chairs, over Latief Pudjosakti.

However, Soetoyo added that because four extra ballot sheets
were discovered at the time, the results of the 1994 congress
were nullified.

PDI's central board, under Megawati Soekarnoputri, then
appointed Soetjipto as East Java chapter leader. Latief, however,
claimed he was also the rightful chairman.

Yogie and Soetoyo said earlier that Basofi cannot recognize
either one because both men have equal claims to legitimacy.

Subagyo disagreed, saying that the members of the electoral
team, which set up the rival board, had no voting rights.

He said these rights were the privilege of party chief
Megawati, the chair of the team at the time who installed
Sutjipto.

Some of the team members later elected Latief Pudjosakti, who
was reportedly backed by the central government. Megawati later
dismissed Latief, who insisted he still had the support of the
majority.

The leadership wrangling is significant because the East Java
administration has just established its regional committee for
the 1997 general elections which leaves PDI unrepresented.

Basofi has given the party until May to resolve the impasse
and come up with representatives to sit on the committee.

Subagyo yesterday said the exclusion of PDI makes the
committee illegal, and that the matter should be brought to
President Soeharto.

"The government claims there is still a problem within our
East Java branch, while we say there isn't," he said.

PDI leaders have accused Basofi of meddling in their internal
affairs.

"Because the problem has not been settled at the local
level...the matter must be taken to the central level of the
election committee and, if this also (fails), to the President as
the highest authority," Subagyo said.

Yogie refused to answer reporters who asked if another
provincial chapter congress would have to be convened to confirm
the leadership of the PDI's East Java chapter. (anr)