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)