Jakarta's PDI-P first congress marred by protest

Jakarta's PDI-P first congress marred by protest

JAKARTA (JP): The first congress of the Jakarta chapter of
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) was
colored by a noisy protest on Friday when a party district
chairman forced his way into the venue without permission.

There was no violence, but the meeting room at the Horison
Hotel in Ancol, North Jakarta, was tense as Alex Asmasoebrata,
head of PDI Perjuangan's Setiabudi district chapter, insisted on
attending the congress even though he and dozens of his
supporters were being blocked by party security guards.

Organizers said that Alex's name had been dropped from the
party's 2000-2005 Jakarta chapter chairman candidacy list because
he was believed to have played a role in the 1996 PDI congress in
the North Sumatra capital of Medan. At that time, the party was
know as the PDI. The congress was used by former president
Soeharto's administration to replace the party's chairwoman, and
now vice president, Megawati Soekarnoputri. In 1996, Alex was
chairman of the splintered, pro-government PDI Jakarta chapter.

Ten days prior to Friday's one-day congress, the party's
central executive board issued a directive prohibiting anyone
directly or indirectly involved in the 1996 congress from being
nominated for chairperson.

Based on the directive, each of the party's five mayoralty
subchapters was only allowed to send five candidates to the
congress, aimed at electing the party's Jakarta chapter chairman.

People not nominated by their mayoralty subchapter and with no
link to the congress were not allowed to attend the meeting,
which was opened by PDI Perjuangan chairperson Megawati.

After being expelled from the venue, Alex, visibly angry,
said: "They have been using dirty tricks to put me off the
congress, while I have never done anything that could harm the
PDI Perjuangan or Megawati Soekarnoputri."

"I have already sent letters questioning the directive to
party secretary-general Sutjipto and Ibu Megawati, as the
chairperson of the party," Alex added.

Earlier in the day, Alex visited Jakarta Police Headquarters
to file a report over the leading candidate in the race, Audi
I.Z. Tambunan, alleging he had defamed and subjected him to a
terror campaign.

Audi said Alex had no right to question the party's decision
and blow up the party's internal problems in public by reporting
him to city police.

"After the congress, we might sanction Alex," said Audi, who
is the party's faction chairman at the city council.

The congress is scheduled to name the new chairman by midnight
Friday.

It was attended by, among other people, Governor Sutiyoso,
outgoing Jakarta chapter chairman Roy B.B. Janis and senior
economist Frans Seda.

In her opening speech, Megawati said she was disappointed with
Jakarta chapter executives because they had been sluggish
organizing the congress.

"The Jakarta branch is the barometer of the country, but
although we were the winning party (in the last election)
everybody seems to work so slow in organizing the event," she
said.

Audi is competing with six other candidates for the
chairpersonship. Congress participants believed that his closest
rival was city councillor Tarmidi Edy Suwarno.

Congress steering committee chairman Binsar Tambunan said the
two men had the same chance of winning the election because they
both fulfilled the required criteria.

"We might use a direct election mechanism with one-man-one-
vote system," Binsar told journalists.

He also said the party had to finish the congress in one day
because Megawati had to leave for East Nusa Tenggara on Saturday.
(dja)