Home minister to open PDI breakaways' congress

JAKARTA (JP): With full government backing, Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) dissenters will hold a congress in Medan from June 20 through 24.

PDI breakaway members said yesterday that Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. would open the Rp 1 billion (US$425,000) congress.

Chief of the Armed Forces' (ABRI) sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid guaranteed the security of the rebel congress to be held at the vast Medan Haj Dormitory.

Legitimate party chief Megawati Soekarnoputri, who fiercely rejects the congress, will not be invited.

"The minister of home affairs is committed to opening the congress," said Fatimah Achmad, chief of the congress organizing committee.

Fatimah, a senior legislator and one of Megawati's deputies, said about 1,400 party members from 251 of the party's 306 regency branches would attend the gathering.

She acknowledged that most of the Rp 1 billion needed for the congress would come from the government, which has denied engineering the rebellion.

The dissenters' announcement ended a week of speculation on the date and venue of the congress. Many observers believe the congress will unseat Megawati who was elected as the party's chief by popular vote in 1993.

Megawati, a daughter of the late president Sukarno, has been pressing for greater democracy. Her supporters have asked her to run for president in 1998.

"Megawati is not invited because we know she will refuse to come anyway," Fatimah said.

Fatimah said the congress would discuss the dual leadership of the East Java party branch. There has been increased bickering in the party, which was established by nationalist-Christian allies.

Calm

Megawati has asked her supporters to remain calm and not break the law.

"The best way to resolve the conflict is reconciliation. Party members should be wary of external parties' efforts to set one party activist against another," she said.

She called on party members to concentrate on next year's general election.

Megawati's supporters in the provinces have threatened to disrupt the rebel congress. Some party activists in Java have reportedly made fingerprints in blood to show their allegiance to her.

On June 3, some rebel members were assaulted at the party's headquarters in Jakarta. They had just returned from the Ministry of Home Affairs where they had sought support for the congress.

Syarwan Hamid yesterday reiterated ABRI's commitment to safeguard the congress.

"It's our job to prevent physical clashes," he told reporters in Jakarta after addressing a congress of the Pemuda Pancasila, a youth organization affiliated with the ruling Golkar party.

Antara reported that Maj. Gen. Soedaryanto, chief of the Bukit Barisan regional military command which is responsible for security in North Sumatra, conducted a military parade to show his readiness to protect the congress.

"I'm sure everything will go smoothly so long as everyone follows the rules," he said.

Meanwhile, dozens of deserters returned to Megawati's fold yesterday, the day after she threatened to dismiss party rebels.

They said they pledged allegiance to Megawati after being told by her foe Soerjadi, a senior legislator and former PDI chief, that next week's congress is "constitutional" because it is approved by the government.

They doubted Soerjadi's loyalty to the party and said they would go to Jakarta to show their support for Megawati. (16/wah/pan)

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