JP/3/PPDI

JP/3/PPDI

New PDI braces for last leg on long political journey

Frans Surdiasis
Research and Development Unit
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

This is the 24th and final article of a series on the 24
political parties contesting the 2004 elections.

Many people may have forgotten Soerjadi, the former chairman
of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Under the leadership of
the 65-year-old, experienced politician, the original PDI -- a
result of the imposed fusion of some nationalist and Christian
parties -- experienced some success.

In what was a stifling political system PDI somehow managed to
portray itself and a number of its vocal politicians as the
alternative for the young generation including rock fans, who
dubbed it the partai metal.

But then Soerjadi, backed by a Soeharto government that was
nervous of rising public support for Megawati Soekarnoputri, took
a significant role in the breakup of PDI into two camps in 1996.
They came to be known as the Megawati and Soerjadi camps.

Following the violent takeover, on July 27, 1996, of the PDI
headquarters, which was occupied by Megawati's camp at the time,
the masses at the party congress in Bali gave the party of her
camp a new name, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan).

What followed was PDI's plunge. In the 1997 election it
secured only 3.06 percent of the vote, the worst performance
since its birth. In the 1999 election PDI won only 0.62 percent,
or 345,720 votes, with two seats in the legislature.

The PDI-P, on the contrary, gained 35 million votes. PDI had
to sign up to contest the 2004 elections under a new name -- the
Indonesian Democratic Vanguard Party (PPDI), set up with
activists of other parties that did not pass the 1999 threshold,
on Jan. 10 last year, the same date as PDI's birth in 1973.

The word "vanguard" (or penegak) in Partai Penegak Demokrasi
Indonesia, says party leader Dimmy Haryanto, refers to the
party's warning of how democracy in the country "has diverted
from the true meaning of Indonesian democracy".

Dimmy, who with Soerjadi was a long-time activist of the
earlier nationalist PNI party, claims a membership of 1 million
people, but told Gatra magazine in January that if the party
failed to pass the threshold of 3 percent of the vote, "we don't
think we could face the 2009 elections".

The party's main hope lies in the disappointment of its former
constituents at President Megawati and her party.

In an apparent bid to brush off the party's past image,
Soerjadi, who was active in PNI's student affiliate GMNI, is
absent from its executive list. The peak of the decline in his
political career was when he was detained on charges of
involvement in the 1996 takeover. Now he says, "that was so long
ago ... I don't remember".

The party leaders hope others, too, will forget, due to the
party's focus on the "people's" economy, legal certainty and
eradication of corruption, a weak point in Megawati's government.

The party lacks leading figures, apart from funds, on its own
admission. Soerjadi and Dimmy are among politicians of the past.
Therefore the leaders have opted for a "quiet" campaign, relying
on leaders of the local branches. Besides, "all legislative
candidates will go to the villages," Dimmy told Koran Tempo in
January.

The only possibility for the party to become associated with a
currently popular figure lies in its nomination of Siswono
Yudohusodo as presidential candidate. The former minister,
property businessman and leader of the farmers' association,
HKTI, has, however, been named a candidate by a few other
parties.

The party also displays a simple, far-from-elaborate, party
platform, with vision and mission statements similar to those of
other parties. Apparently, it does not even bother to go into all
that old marhaenisme ideology, toted by other parties that
display the "nationalist" claim and ties to founding father
Sukarno. Instead, its platform lists newer aspirations of the day
such as gender equality and environmental "harmony", though this
is also not unique compared with other parties.

In contrast to the current government, PPDI says it will work
for "modern, capable governance that is honest, fair,
responsible ... "

It also aims at the formation of a citizenry with "a strong
Indonesian character that is honest, ethical, moral and
democratic".

This is certainly a tall order for supporters of a party that
has the logo of bull -- from whichever camp: They have displayed
violence, even to the "little people" they claim to represent.

But then, as Soerjadi says, "that was so long ago."