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)