Megawati loses chair but not stature

Megawati loses chair but not stature

The recent controversial congress of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) in Medan effectively bulldozed Megawati
Soekarnoputri from the chairmanship, but political analyst
Riswandha Imawan believes she is rising in stature.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The common assumption that the recent
Indonesian Democratic Party congress in Medan was nothing less
than the beginning of a bigger disaster seems to hold some
credence.

The government-sponsored congress managed to unseat the
party's chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri. But her stature has
since grown both in terms of leadership charisma and in the
power to win more people to her cause.

The congress has helped launch a new political force in
Indonesia. No longer does Megawati belong solely to the party.
She has captured the hearts of those outside the party as well.
People who are not satisfied with today's monolithic political
mechanism, including individuals ostracized by those within the
circle of power as a result of increasingly "personalized"
politics.

This is obvious from the numerous street protests in the
provinces against the results of the Medan congress. The
protesters comprise not only die-hard Megawati supporters but
free riders as well. The free riders are those who need a basis
in the masses to promote their ideas of reform. They look upon
the recent congress as a clash between a new undercurrent of
political will and the solid wall of power.

It is interesting to note that the protests received
overwhelming support from young people, mainly university
students. Do these students sympathize with the party?

The fact they took part in the marches and demonstrations does
not necessarily mean these young people are all party members.
The unit of analysis of democracy is the individual, not the
group.

Moreover, democracy does not recognize the formal boundaries
of an organization since it works on a spiritual level. In other
words, a person need not be a member of the party to have a
democratic spirit. This spirit can be equally shared by a person
who is a member of the ruling Golkar political grouping, the
United Development Party, or even the Armed Forces.

A more critical society understands that the process toward
achieving a goal is important in a democracy. It is not merely a
question of attaining the objective. A goal can be achieved but
perhaps not through a democratic way. Democracy needs tolerance
because the crux of a democratic process lies in consensus, in
the endeavor to resolve a conflict. Hence all contending sides
must sit at a table in equal positions.

The youths know very well the substantial values of democracy.
They did not see them in the recent congress. The congress had
only one single objective: to topple Megawati. This was done on
the pretext of the wider context of an attempt to consolidate the
party.

The fact that the congress was closed two days earlier than
scheduled is proof of this argument. The congress was clearly
meant to reinstate former chairman Soerjadi who was defeated by
Megawati in a 1993 congress.

More proof is found in the fact that the recent Medan congress
also annulled various party decisions made by Megawati, including
the 1993 statutes and regulations. Those of 1986 were reinstated.

The congress also revoked Megawati's dismissal of 16 pro-
congress members of the executive board and decision No.043/1994
which the congress perceived as the cause of the rift within the
party's East Java branch.

Frankly speaking, Soerjadi excels in leadership qualities
compared to those of the party's leadership elite, but democracy
never makes a case out of quality. What matters is the quantity
of support. Hence, the party might have members of good quality
but they do not become part of the elite because they fail to
garner enough support.

The crux of the matter is, however, that the way in which
Soerjadi was elected was not democratic. First, Megawati was
recognized de jure leader at the national conference on Dec. 22
and Dec. 23, 1993 which was in follow up to the Dec. 2 to Dec. 6,
1993 extraordinary congress in which Megawati was elected de
facto leader.

Although Megawati's de jure election was done during a
national conference, the party members pronounced the conference
to be on a par with a congress. So, Megawati's position is no
weaker than Soerjadi's. Based on the party's statutes and
regulations, her power will end in 1998. The recent congress was
held just two-and-a-half years after Megawati's election.

Second, according to the party statutes and regulations of
both 1986 and 1993, any congress must be attended by branch
representatives. For that purpose, branch conferences and
provincial conferences are held prior to any congress. So, the
legality of the Medan congress is very doubtful.

Third, Megawati was not invited to account for her policies in
front of the congress. The congress in Medan was no other than a
unilateral trial for Megawati. This makes it very remote from the
basic values of a democratic political life.

Youths and students say that the PDI congress in Medan was a
coup d'etat in relationship to Megawati's power. It is the worst
political lesson they could ever have learned, namely that a coup
is the most effective means of replacing a person in power in
Indonesia.

Perhaps they also came to the realization that even the
deposing of president Sukarno in the mid 1960s was not as harsh
as the political maneuvering of today. President Sukarno was
asked to account for his leadership in the Provisional People's
Consultative Assembly in 1967 and was rejected. Only then did the
presidential election process start.

The toppling of Megawati reflects the deterioration of
political ethics among the elite circles of power. This method is
not in line with the policy of the New Order as it has come to be
understood. It is a step 30 to 50 years backwards.

The writer is a lecturer of political science at Gadjah Mada
University, Yogyakarta.