Govt recognizes Soerjadi as PDI chairman
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)