Megawati's PDI-P opponents open office

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.