Megawati advised to re-enter formal politics

Megawati advised to re-enter formal politics

JAKARTA (JP): A senior army general has advised Megawati
Soekarnoputri, the deposed leader of the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI), to stop making trouble and re-enter the political
arena.

"If she enters formal politics, she can re-emerge with new
strength and exert all her political assets in the 1998 party
congress," Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, the Armed Forces chief of
sociopolitical affairs said in Malang, East Java, on Monday.

Megawati has rejected the government-backed congress in Medan
that ousted her in June. She remains steadfast in her claim that
she is the legitimate PDI chief until 1998, when the party will
call a mandatory congress to elect its new executive board.

The government has shifted its recognition from Megawati, who
was democratically elected in 1993, to Soerjadi, who was elected
in Medan, North Sumatra, in June.

Syarwan, the military official who has been the most active in
voicing the government's stand on the PDI, said that Megawati has
to re-enter formal politics if she wants to make a comeback.

"In fact, President Soeharto has wisely given the same
advice," Syarwan said.

Syarwan called on Megawati, the eldest daughter of late
president Sukarno, to understand that the government cannot
acknowledge her and Soerjadi at the same time.

"She should not make trouble all the time, like opening a new
party headquarters and then suing the government for closing it
and so forth. It's outrageous," he said as quoted by Antara.

Megawati plans to file a suit against the Jakarta city
government for closing down her new party headquarters in East
Jakarta last week on the grounds that it is an office located in
a residential area.

Earlier last week, Megawati reached an out-of-court settlement
regarding a lawsuit she filed against Syarwan, whom she charged
with slander. Megawati said Syarwan publicly accused her of
trying to topple the government.

Currently, the Central Jakarta District Court is hearing her
lawsuit against the government for backing the rebel congress and
Soerjadi for holding the congress "illegally".

Syarwan said the old PDI headquarters in Central Jakarta was
damaged in the takeover by Soerjadi's supporters on July 27 and
now needs renovation.

The raid on the old party headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro
triggered riots in the capital in which at least five people died
and scores were injured. Banks and government buildings were
torched, causing estimated material losses of Rp 200 billion
(US$85 million).

Syarwan was in Malang to address a gathering of retired Armed
Forces members who will be given posts in the region's
legislative council and also in the House of Representatives.

In related development, a PDI legislator and staunch supporter
of Megawati, Aberson Marle Sihaloho, yesterday underwent a six-
hour police questioning. He is accused of defaming President
Soeharto in the now-banned free speech forum held at the PDI
headquarters earlier this year.

Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta, 25 Megawati supporters announced
yesterday their plan to sue three PDI activists for breaking an
earlier agreement not to attend the Medan congress, which elected
Soerjadi as party chairman.

Led by Mrs. Suprapti, Ispurwanto and B. Wirawan, the group are
suing Y. Sunardi, B. Mugiono and Parjiyo and demanding Rp 100
million in damages.

Through the local office of the Legal Aid Institute, the group
stated they were filing the lawsuit in their individual
capacities, rather than as members of the local chapter of PDI.

Budi Santoso of the institute's office said five lawyers have
been assigned to handle the case. The team will work together
with lawyers from the Jakarta-based Foundation of the Indonesian
Legal Aid Institute and the Indonesian Bar Association, who were
hired by Megawati to fight her legal battles against Soerjadi and
the government.

Wirawan said the three plaintiffs had earlier promised not to
go to Medan and support Soerjadi. During the congress, the office
of the Yogyakarta chapter of PDI was besieged by Megawati
supporters, and Wirawan and his colleagues had to provide food
for them. (pan/30)