Govt recognizes Soerjadi as PDI chairman
JAKARTA (JP): The government has decided to recognize Soerjadi, elected chairman at the government-sponsored congress of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) last week, and placed on him the burden of deciding what to do with Megawati Soekarnoputri.
"The government will always hold on to the principle of legality and deny any form of rival or informal leadership," Armed Forces Sociopolitical chief Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said yesterday.
"The newly-established PDI central board, under Soerjadi, should be able to solve the party's internal problems," he told the press after attending the opening of the congress of the Golkar-affiliated Indonesian Cadres for Development at the Presidential palace yesterday.
"The new board should make all effort, including persuasion, to settle the bickering so that there will be no more rival leadership in PDI," he said, adding that he is confident of the new board's ability to settle the problem.
Syarwan warned Soerjadi's board against using violence in its effort to settle the leadership problem.
"Violence would only create new problems for the party," he said.
"The Armed Forces, whenever possible, will help the new board in settling the problem, at least with appeals and necessary negotiations," he promised.
He again asserted that the congress was the best solution to the leadership conflict within the party. He dismissed suggestions that the congress was rigged and that the new board was therefore unlawful.
"I don't think any of the members of the PDI new central board are unlawful," he insisted.
He dismissed the suggestion that the Armed Forces help settle the conflict by approaching Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose supporters are guarding the party's headquarters from a takeover by Soerjadi.
"We are not making a special appeal to her. We're just hoping that she will be wise and help unite all elements within the party," Syarwan said.
Soerjadi was elected new PDI chairman during the three-day rebel congress last week in Medan, North Sumatra.
The government and the breakaway faction insist Megawati is no longer chief of the party. The government and the rebel faction repeatedly stressed that the majority of PDI chapters and branches insisted on the congress.
Separately yesterday, chairman of the Megawati-backed East Java PDI chapter, Soetjipto, denied that the majority of PDI branches in the province supported the congress.
"A total of 27 of 37 PDI branches in East Java have declared their rejection of the congress and its result," he said at the party's headquarters.
He said the branches would soon convene a meeting to determine what further action to stage against the result of the congress.
He also said more people in East Java are declaring support for Megawati, and for his camp, as shown by the fact that food supplies continue to flow into his office.
"These supplies come from either groups or individuals in the province," he said.
In Semarang, the capital of Central Jakarta, thousands of Megawati's supporters held a rally at the Diponegoro sports stadium.
Similar rallies were staged in the Central Java cities of Surakarta, Salatiga and Sragen. All the participants rejected Soerjadi's chairmanship.
In Yogyakarta, the Union of Indonesian Catholic Students pledged to support Megawati.
The students demanded the government honor its earlier recognition of Megawati as PDI chief.
"The government, the Armed Forces and the breakaway group will be responsible for the unexpected things that may happen after the congress," warned the union's statement.
The union chapter sent letters of concern to President Soeharto, the People's Consultative Assembly, the House of Representatives, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M., Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudrajat, and Chief of the Armed Forces Gen. Feisal Tanjung. (imn/har/15)