Megawati cannot manage her party

Megawati cannot manage her party

From Media Indonesia

After the general election of June 7, 1999, the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the winner in the
polls, has been rocked by widespread dissension. Reports on the
party's internal conflicts started to circulate in early August.
PDI Perjuangan supporters in various cities, including Jakarta,
were angered and dissatisfied by the party's policies.

Their dissatisfaction concerns legislative candidates. The
omission of names of legislative candidates from the provinces to
the House of Representatives (DPR) and provincial legislative
councils (DPRD) was due to their replacement by other candidates
from the party's central board. It led to protests by members of
the public; some supporters ran amok and ransacked the party's
secretariat.

These events are strong indications of the lack of solidarity
in the party that has proposed Megawati Soekarnoputri as its
presidential candidate. It needs our attention because the party
that won the general election has no solid organization. How can
the presidential candidate of a divided party be championed for
the presidency?

There is an obvious lack of management in the party. What of
the management of the state and nation amid serious challenges?
It is recognized that Megawati is supported by some of the
people, but backing by only part of the community is not
sufficient. This nation needs a manager who is up to the task of
managing the population with all its complex problems.

Considering the recent chaos within the party, I merely want
to emphasize that PDI Perjuangan shows that it is not ready to
assume power. In other words, it is hard to make a common sense
acceptance of Megawati leading Indonesia when she is incapable of
managing her own party.

A.G. PUTRANTO

Jakarta