Military urges PDI to solve conflict through dialog
Military urges PDI to solve conflict through dialog
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) has appealed to the
bickering camps within the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) to
resolve their differences through dialog.
Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, assistant to ABRI's chief of socio-
political affairs, said on Tuesday that no outsiders could
resolve the row that has been raging within the party.
The party leaders themselves should get together and resolve
their differences through dialog and consensus, Syarwan, who was
speaking during a working visit to Palembang, South Sumatra,
said, Antara reported. "It is essentially the party's internal
matter," he said.
Ideally, all leaders in the party should have a common
perception and avoid conflicts, he said, underlining that these
leaders hold the key to PDI's problems.
ABRI has no intention of intervening in the party's conflict,
he said, stressing that the military's role is restricted to
ensuring security and stability.
The leadership of PDI chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri has
been undermined by massive dissensions among the party's rank and
file in various parts of the country in recent months.
One of her chief critics, Jusuf Merukh, has even formed a
rival executive board and has been campaigning to woo the party's
rank and file in the region.
The conflict in East Java has reached such a point that the
local administration has even prevented her from visiting the
region to meet with her supporters, citing that her presence
there could stir trouble.
The East Java military has endorsed the administration's
moves, risking accusations that the authorities were giving
support to Megawati's opponents.
Megawati said on Monday she is still hoping that she be
allowed to meet with her supporters in East Java and to appoint
the chairman of the party's East Java chapter. However, she
stressed that she would not go there unless it was cleared by the
local authorities, according to a Kompas report.
"I like to think positively and that one day the permit will
be issued," she said. "If you ask me how long I'm prepared to
wait, then I'll say that I will be patient. But I'm not going to
break the law. The verb doesn't exist in my vocabulary."
Megawati said her office will continue to try to obtain the
authorized clearance for her to visit East Java.
Last month the police in the East Java town of Kediri
prevented her from addressing a meeting of PDI supporters. Last
week, Megawati's plan to travel to Surabaya to install the new
board of PDI's East Java chapter was aborted after the local
administration said it would not issue a permit for the ceremony.
(emb)