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)