Megawati's PDI-P opponents open office
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is facing an imminent split, with members opposed to the leadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri ready to set up a new party should they fail to oust the PDI-P leader.
The splinter group officially opened an office on Jl. Kertanegara in South Jakarta to consolidate support for their move against Megawati.
Among this group of dissenters is oil businessman Arifin Panigoro, former state minister for state enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, Roy BB Janis and Sophan Sophiaan.
Other senior PDI-P politicians -- Abdul Madjid, Muchtar Buchori, Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo, Noviantika Nasution and Didik Supriyanto -- are also part of the opposition camp, called the PDI-P Reform Movement.
All of these figures attended Thursday's opening of their new office.
The movement was launched last year to reform the PDI-P following its disappointing showings in the legislative and presidential elections. Members of the movement want former president Megawati ousted as head of the party to make way for fresh leadership.
Megawati retained control of the PDI-P when she was reelected to the party's top post during a national congress in Bali earlier this month.
Her reelection put the reform movement at stake because its key players -- Arifin Panigoro, Laksamana Sukardi, Roy B.B. Janis, Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo, Noviantika Nasution and Didik Supriyanto -- are now facing dismissal from the party.
PDI-P secretary-general Pramono Anung Wibowo said the central board would give the "deserters the opportunity to come back" and apologize, otherwise they would be dismissed from the party.
In response, the reform group warned the central board that it would breakaway and form a new party if the dismissals were carried out.
"The pro-reform group is open to reconciliation on the two main conditions that the party's statutes are enforced and internal democratization is carried out," Roy said.
He said his movement had gained increasing support from many of the party's regional chapters across the country.
Arifin Panigoro said the movement was pressing ahead with its agenda to reform the PDI-P, which is now the second-largest political party after the Golkar Party.
"Political support for us is flowing in from provinces in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua. Let democratization take a concrete shape," Arifin said.
He said his team was in contact with numerous regional branches of the PDI-P to seek an extraordinary congress, apparently to unseat Megawati.
Arifin said he wanted to establish a new political party but his colleagues were still focused on reforming and democratizing the PDI-P.
"The chance for reconciliation appears to be distant because of the widening gap and differences between the opposing sides. We should go to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to register a new party if the democratization (of the PDI-P) stalls," he said.
In a speech during Thursday's opening of the new office, Laksamana said most PDI-P supporters were disappointed with the pro-reform group for failing to pursue its agenda within the party.
"The PDI-P was set up in 1998 to topple former president Soeharto and his authoritarian regime. But now the party is practicing authoritarianism by nominating a single candidate at the recent congress, threatening to dismiss members struggling to move the party forward and granting its top leader privileges.
"The biggest irony is that the party is not committed to reform, as shown at the recent congress where the party leader, who was defeated in the last presidential election, was reelected with the aid of old faces who have proven themselves incompetent in carrying out their tasks," Laksamana said.
Laksamana said the PDI-P was in dire need of younger members to reunite the party and lead it to victory in the 2009 general election.