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)