Megawati promises to sort out PDI's problems
Megawati promises to sort out PDI's problems
JAKARTA (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri yesterday pledged to the government that she would sort out the conflicts within the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), including the reports that one of its leaders was a communist, without turning to outside help.
Megawati, who chairs Indonesia's smallest political party, yesterday went to see Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. at his office to discuss the latest development in PDI, which has been beset by internal problems.
She told reporters later that she gave her word to Yogie that these conflicts would be resolved in accordance with the party's constitution and that there was no need for PDI to look for outside mediation.
These problems include an allegation that the chairman of the PDI chapter in West Java was a suspected communist, she said. She declined to go into detail, saying that this and other matters would be discussed further by the party leadership today.
She also reported to Yogie about the way she was handling the emergence of a rival executive board by a number of dissenting members.
The executive board on Tuesday expelled Gerry Mbatemooy, a former deputy chairman who announced the formation of the rival board last week.
The expulsion of Gerry and Latief Pudjosakti, a senior party member in East Java, was also reported to Yogie, she said.
Megawati, who was accompanied by her deputies Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, Fatimah Ahmad and Yahya Theo at the meeting, said the minister in his response also believed that PDI should be able to resolve its own internal conflicts.
Yogie's spokesman H.S.A. Yussac said the minister stressed the importance of resolving any conflict through dialog.
On the communist allegation, the minister also suggested that Megawati consult with people in West Java before taking any action, Yussac said, adding that the ministry had not received any report on this issue either.
The West Java military last week said Djadjang Kurniadi, the local PDI chapter chairman, was strongly suspected to have past communist links. Djadjang has denied the accusation.
The allegation prompted Gerry, long known to oppose Megawati's leadership, to form his own executive board, saying that the move was intended to save the party from communist infiltration. He said Djadjang's case was not the only one.
Yesterday the Central Java chapter of PDI in Semarang, in apparent response to Gerry's charges, asked the local military to confirm or deny allegations that three of the chapter's members also had communist links.
"If these allegations are correct, then we have to get rid of those members," said Bantu Soenarjo, the chapter deputy secretary.
Megawati yesterday also invited Minister Yogie to address PDI on Jan. 10 in Solo, Central Java, during the party's celebration of its 22nd anniversary. The minister has agreed to attend the celebration, Yussac said.
In Solo, the chief organizer of the PDI anniversary, Makyo Sumaryo, said the party has also invited Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, to attend the anniversary commemoration.
Makyo said Megawati will make a speech which will stress the need for the party to reconcile differences and consolidate its strength.(emb/har)