Megawati defies police summons over gathering
JAKARTA (JP): Ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri defied a police summons yesterday to answer charges of hosting an illegal political gathering on Jan. 10.
On Wednesday, Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas defied the same summons.
Their lawyers, led by R.O. Tambunan, told the police yesterday his clients refused to appear because the summonses had legal defects and were "incomplete".
"Our clients have been summoned to attest for an alleged crime in which the suspect is not mentioned," Tambunan told reporters shortly after a meeting with the police to explain why his clients did not show up.
He argued that the summons should have mentioned which law his clients had broken and who the suspect was.
About 50 Megawati supporters noisily demonstrated their sympathy outside the South Jakarta police precinct. They dispersed peacefully after four hours of futile waiting.
Shouting pro-Megawati slogans and singing patriotic songs whose lyrics were twisted to suit the situation, they also unfurled banners.
"Soerjadi masterminded the bloody July 27 riots but why is he not questioned? Why Megawati???" one banner said.
Soerjadi was the politician who replaced Megawati at a government-sanctioned rebel congress in June last year. The violent takeover of the PDI headquarters on July 27 triggered a major riot in Jakarta.
Dozens of riot police and mobile brigade officers closely watched the protest.
The police charged that Megawati and Taufik, both of whom are members of the House of Representatives, violated Article 6 of Law No. 5/1963 which states that political gatherings need an official permit. They face a maximum jail term of five years.
According to their lawyers, the use of the 1963 law is no longer relevant.
"The law made under the Old Order regime was meant to secure the Indonesian Revolution as had been dictated by the already- revoked Provisional Peoples Consultative Assembly Decree No. I/MPRS/1960 on the Indonesian Political Manifesto," Tambunan said in his reply to the police.
The team also said that if the law was still applied, it would mean that all political activities in the country nowadays were crimes because they violated the law.
On explaining their clients' stance, the team also questioned President Soeharto's authorization letter for the police to question the two legislators. It was only signed by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono.
"It would not be too much to ask the President to sign the authorization letter himself instead of only the minister/state secretary in view of the fact that our clients are both House members," the lawyer said.
The team of lawyers also questioned why the police have failed to question Soerjadi and his 200 supporters who invaded the party headquarters and sparked the riot.
In response to the lawyers' inquiry, South Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Sisno Adiwinoto said the summonses had been made in accordance with the prevailing procedures.
He also insisted on using the law because to his knowledge, it had not been revoked.
Sisno said the police would issue a second summons to the couple but he declined to say when. (08)