Megawati asks govt to dissolve Soerjadi's PDI
Megawati asks govt to dissolve Soerjadi's PDI
JAKARTA (JP): The Megawati Soekarnoputri camp of the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) at the end of a three-day
working meeting yesterday called on the government to dissolve
rival Soerjadi's leadership of the party.
In a political statement read by secretary-general Alexander
Litaay, the Megawati camp said the government's dissolution of
Soerjadi's leadership would swiftly put an end to the party's
leadership dispute, which has dragged on for two years.
"We want the government to dissolve immediately Soerjadi's PDI
leadership," the statement said. "The PDI leadership under
Soerjadi is unlawful because it was the product of an
unconstitutional congress."
The meeting agreed that a resolution into the matter was
essential in preparation for next year's general election, slated
for May or June.
Megawati was ousted as chairwoman by Soerjadi in a government-
backed congress in 1996.
However, Megawati and her supporters have persisted that they
are the true leaders of PDI and have filed a slew of lawsuits
challenging the legality of the congress and the rightfulness of
Soerjadi.
The Supreme Court is on the verge of announcing a decision on
whether Megawati has grounds to proceed with her suit filed
against Soerjadi and several cabinet members, including current
Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid.
However, even in an atmosphere of reform and under a new
president, the government has yet to recognize Megawati as party
leader.
R.O. Tambunan, chief of Megawati's team of lawyers, stressed
yesterday the importance of a "political solution" through
government intervention, since a legal verdict would only drag
out the issue further.
"The party's leadership dispute must be ended through a
political settlement. The government must not recognize
Soerjadi's PDI leadership anymore," Tambunan told The Jakarta
Post yesterday.
He said even a Supreme Court ruling in favor of Megawati would
only overrule the Central Jakarta District Court's preliminary-
trial ruling that Megawati had enough grounds for the suit.
"The Supreme Court's ruling cannot provide an immediate and
satisfactory result as it will only order the Central Jakarta
District Court to continue the trial.
"And it will take years for Megawati to wait for the result of
her lawsuit, which is, in fact, only about to begin," he said.
President
During the three-day meeting, 18 of PDI's 27 chapters openly
expressed their support for Megawati to run for president. The
remaining nine chapters have yet to make a formal announcement
but have not expressed any opposition to the idea.
Speaking to reporters with regard to her targets in the next
general election, Megawati said "our target is only one: To win
the general election".
Apart from the political statement, the meeting's participants
also recommended that the executive board move forward the next
party congress from December to October, with either Yogyakarta
or Bali being considered as the likely venues.
The Soerjadi camp has announced that it will hold a congress
in Palu, Central Sulawesi, from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30. Congress
organizers claim they have invited President B.J. Habibie to open
it.
The meeting, which was held at Bumi Wiyata Hotel, Depok, south
of Jakarta, also recommended that the executive board revoke its
bedrock agreement with the New Order government.
The agreement resulted in the merger of five political
organizations to become the PDI in 1973. The agreement
stipulates PDI's commitment to support the government and the
Armed Forces's dual-function. (imn)