Govt accused of engineering PDI conflict

JAKARTA (JP): Parties involved in the Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) leadership conflict continued to hurl accusations at each other yesterday.

Loyalists of ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, responding to Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen. (ret.) Feisal Tanjung's statement that the conflict was an internal matter of the party, placed the blame squarely on the military and the government.

Kwik Kian Gie, the head of Megawati's think-tank, and some of his colleagues said it was the authorities' interference that created the problem in the first place. They accused some officials of attempting to muddy history with certain statements about the party.

"I don't know if Feisal lied or if he was actually ill- informed, or if he was well-informed but had forgotten it because he has too much work to do now ... but his claim was untrue," Kwik said.

Kwik was accompanied by Subagyo Anam, Haryanto Taslam, Laksamana Sukardi, Tarto Sudiro, Sukowaluyo, S.G.B. Tampubolon, Roy B.B. Janis, Noviantika Nasution and Mochtar Buchori.

In his capacity as Armed Forces (ABRI) commander in 1996, Feisal was one of the staunchest sponsors of a breakaway PDI congress in North Sumatra's capital of Medan that toppled Megawati and installed Soerjadi as the party's leader.

Along with then home affairs minister Moch. Yogie S.M. and ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, Feisal endorsed Soerjadi and dismissed Megawati's leadership as invalid.

Laksamana charged that the rift had been engineered by aides of former president Soeharto in order to clear the way for his ascension to the presidency for a seventh consecutive term.

Taslam said the Medan congress was legally invalid since it was "supported" by only 141 branch offices -- 15 short of the minimum 156 required. The party has 310 branches.

"Not to mention that the representatives of those 141 branches were manipulated and intimidated by (the splinter) group helped by the military and the bureaucracy," said Taslam, who is deputy secretary-general under Megawati.

Feisal, Syarwan and Yogie denied any responsibility for the rift, though Soerjadi has admitted that he was their chosen man and that the military and the government had interfered in the process. Syarwan, now minister of home affairs, has asked that the rivals wait for a court decision on the legality of the congress.

The congress, which also elected Buttu R. Hutapea as secretary-general, led to the forcible takeover of the PDI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro 58 from Megawati supporters on July 27, 1996. The incident sparked rioting that left five people dead and 23 still classified as missing.

Feisal recently claimed that it was Buttu who led the attack, prompting the National Police yesterday to promise to take another look at the incident.

However, National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said they needed to have enough evidence before questioning Buttu.

"We need to collect evidence other than Pak Feisal Tanjung's statement," he told journalists here.

Roesmanhadi suggested that Megawati's faction file a formal request for the local police to reinvestigate the incident.

"There are certain procedures that the Megawati faction needs to follow," Roesmanhadi said. "They must submit a report, including the evidence, to the police so the police can start an investigation."

He refused to respond to earlier calls from Megawati supporters for an investigation into 200 PDI members who were involved in the takeover.

"I was appointed police chief only last month," he said.

Roesmanhadi's account contradicted that of his subordinate, Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, who said yesterday that his officers had questioned at least 30 people who witnessed the bloody incident.

"We have questioned dozens of witnesses, among them were members of the 200 PDI security personnel involved in the incident," Noegroho said.

He, however, refused to reveal results of the questioning.

"The investigation has yet to be completed. I cannot give you any conclusions about it. Just wait for further results.

"As for Buttu Hutapea, we will summon him if it is considered necessary to do so," he said. (edt/imn/aan)