Habibie not to open Soerjadi-led congress

Habibie not to open Soerjadi-led congress

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has canceled plans to
open the Soerjadi-led Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI)
congress in Palu, Central Sulawesi, yesterday after receiving
widespread criticism from Megawati Soekarnoputri and her
supporters.

Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung said yesterday the
President reversed an earlier decision to open the congress on
the advice of senior members of his Cabinet, including Minister
of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto.

The President was widely criticized last week when he accepted
an invitation by PDI congress organizers to deliver the keynote
address at the meeting. The congress is being organized by PDI's
board headed by Soerjadi, who has counted more on the support of
the government than on its own rank-and-file members.

The most prominent criticism came from Megawati Soekarnoputri,
who commands popular support in the party although she was ousted
from the PDI leadership in 1996.

Akbar said Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid would open
the congress on behalf of the President.

Habibie convened a meeting to discuss the PDI issue yesterday
with Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Feisal Tanjung, Gen. Wiranto, Syarwan, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of Justice Muladi, Akbar and
Attorney General Mohammad Ghalib.

Akbar said the decision was influenced by warnings from
Megawati concerning Habibie's participation in the congress.

"Although legally Soerjadi is the PDI chairman, the government
recognizes that Megawati has a strong influence in PDI. You
cannot deny this," Akbar said.

Soerjadi's camp claims that 270 of the party's 312 branches
have confirmed they would attend the congress despite reports
that many of them had announced they would not attend.

Megawati plans to hold her own congress this October in Bali
or Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, some 300 Megawati supporters presented a letter
from Megawati to the minister of home affairs urging him to
revoke Soerjadi's permit to hold the congress.

"The government's recommendation to the National Police should
be revoked," the supporters' coordinator, Jacob Nuwa Wea, told
reporters after a meeting with officials at the office's
directorate-general for sociopolitical affairs.

He said that Syarwan should not repeat the same mistake
committed by his predecessor Moch. Yogie S.M., who issued the
permit for Soerjadi to proceed with the 1996 congress which
ousted Megawati from her leadership position.

Jacob said he and other Megawati supporters planned to go to
Palu to "monitor" the congress. He promised they had only
peaceful intentions regarding the congress.

In the letter, Megawati protested the government's approval of
the upcoming congress in Palu. "The government is not different
from the Soeharto administration, which was antireform and
against democracy."

She added that the government had no legal grounds to approve
the congress.

"It shows that the government has no political will to settle
PDI's internal dispute."

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, 500 Megawati supporters said
yesterday they would go to Palu ahead of the congress's opening
to disrupt the meeting if it went ahead.

"We're ready to die for Megawati," said Jessy Mintje, the
group's leader. (prb/imn/37)