Megawati refuses to take responsibility for clashes

JAKARTA (JP): The ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Megawati Soekarnoputri, yesterday lashed back at suggestions that she was responsible for several campaign clashes with the party's government-backed Soerjadi faction.

In a statement issued yesterday she said the commitment she made on April 23 -- that the PDI board under her leadership would not take part in the campaign -- still held firm.

"Thus any suggestion that I have any involvement in the 1997 campaign activities has to be recognized as an act of manipulation and broad deceit," she said.

On Monday, the second day of the campaign period, about 5,000 reportedly pro-Megawati supporters stormed a Soerjadi faction PDI rally in Surabaya, East Java. Several injuries were reported.

On Thursday, police struggled to prevent over a hundred people, chanting and wearing clothing with pro-Megawati slogans, from entering a PDI rally in North Jakarta.

Megawati is the eldest daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno. She was sidelined as PDI's chair in a government-backed rebel congress last year. The government promptly recognized the new leadership under Soerjadi despite Megawati's persistent claim that she is the rightful party chair.

During the 1992 election the PDI made great strides in acquiring more seats in the House of Representatives.

Before the internal party strife, many foresaw that the PDI under Megawati would offer formidable competition to the ruling Golkar.

Megawati said yesterday she would stick to her commitment not to participate in any way on behalf of the PDI during the campaign.

"Increase vigilance and don't be easily provoked by other people's actions during the campaign. This way we can maintain national unity and the PDI's image of peace and anti-violence that I have always stressed," Megawati said.

She said there was "no reason whatsoever" to compromise and cooperate with the "illegitimate and unconstitutional" PDI led by Soerjadi.

Reviewing the just concluded first and second rounds of the campaign period, Megawati said she regretted that acts of political manipulation and feeble-mindedness were continually perpetrated by the so-called "PDI Soerjadi".

She said such acts disillusioned and disappointed many PDI followers. (mds)