Govt denies reports on additional seat for PDI

JAKARTA (JP): The government dismissed yesterday reports that the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) obtained an additional House of Representatives' seat for its North Sumatra legislative candidates.

Suryatna Subrata, secretary general of the General Election Committee, said here that final poll results would be revealed tomorrow and data from other sources was invalid.

"Valid poll results (will be known Monday) when we open the sealed election reports from the 27 provincial election committees," he said after inspecting the preparations for Monday's ceremony at the committee's office.

He questioned PDI's announcement Friday that it had obtained 11 seats, one more than announced in the committee's provisional poll results.

"We have no idea where they obtained the data from...perhaps from other sources," he said.

PDI secretary general Buttu R. Hutapea said Friday the party was guaranteed another seat in the House after final data of the North Sumatra provincial election committee showed an increase of 64,269 votes for PDI.

"Provinces of North Sumatra, Central Java and East Java will each have two seats, while West Java, West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, East Timor and Irian Jaya will each have one seat," Hutapea said.

This would put Fatimah Achmad, listed second on the North Sumatra candidate list, in the party's lineup of 11 House members. She would join Panangian Siregar from North Sumatra.

Fatimah was among a small group of PDI executives who initiated a government-backed rebel party congress in Medan last June that toppled then PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri and replaced her with Soerjadi.

Fatimah was unavailable for comment yesterday as she was still in Paris on an official trip, according to household staff.

Differences

Suryatna conceded the final poll results would probably be different from provisional ones.

"A poll contestant's showing may either increase of decrease...because it's possible that (in the final counting stages it was found) more invalid votes or miscalculation during preliminary counting," he said.

Such changes were common in the previous elections, he said. "In this case, the election committee will rely on data from the 27 provincial election committees."

Suryatna also discussed controversy surrounding proposed vote trading -- in which the winner of election grants its excess votes to the loser so the latter may get additional seats. "The controversy wouldn't have taken place had the three poll contestants heeded electoral rules," he said.

The United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and the PDI "knew that vote tradeoff is possible only if (it was agreed upon) before the election and with their consent," he said.

"Yet, none of them was aware and made use of the opportunity."

The West Java provincial chapters of PPP and Golkar agreed last week to give their excess votes to PDI, which failed to win a seat on the provincial council. The move was a violation of the election rules.

Suryatna praised the agreement as proof of the chapters' awareness of the need to uphold unity and brotherhood.

Golkar chairman Harmoko initiated the motion by promising to grant its excess votes to PDI, a minority party so badly splintered that its election showing dropped to an all-time low this year. In 1992, it won 56 seats.

Reconciliation

In a related development, a PDI legislator relaunched yesterday a proposal for reconciliation within the party.

"I suggest the two camps reconcile, and establish a greater and stronger PDI," Abdul Choliq Murod told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.

"If the two camps do not meet and reconcile, I am pessimistic that PDI will be able to make a significant comeback into the real political arena in the future," he said..

Choliq said Megawati, eldest daughter of deceased former president Sukarno, had charisma and support as her main assets to lead the party. He said the party's dismal showing in the election revealed Megawati's strong influence on party members as they snubbed Soerjadi's faction.

He recommended that Megawati reduce her "political rigidity" when dealing with government officials. "She should be like water, adapting to any form of containers, and gaining power when it's in abundance," he said. "She should not act like an iron bar, which is hard but could easily be crushed." (imn)