No govt recognition of faction needed: Megawati

No govt recognition of faction needed: Megawati

JAKARTA (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Monday that her
faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) no longer
required the government's legal recognition and that she would
continue with a planned party congress in Bali.

While opening a seminar focusing on PDI concepts in legal,
political, educational and economical development, Megawati said
she had had enough of the government's inconsistencies in
handling the PDI leadership rift.

"I was recognized by the government when I was elected party
chairwoman in 1993. Then I was neglected, re-recognized and then
neglected again," she said.

"We don't want to get trapped in the government's legal
wrangling anymore and are now obliged to help settle the nation's
problems."

"We'll therefore hold a party congress from Oct. 8 to Oct. 10
in Bali," she told the seminar's 2,000 participants.

Separately, the PDI secretary-general loyal to Megawati,
Alexander Litaay, said 90 percent of the congress' preparation
had been completed.

"The 310 PDI chapters and 1,100 participants have already
registered," he told reporters at the National Police
headquarters on Monday.

As of Monday, the government had yet to decide whether it
would grant a permit for the congress.

"Just wait for our decision. The question of the permit for
Megawati's PDI congress is now being discussed," Minister of
Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto said
after briefing participants of a course at the National
Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), a military think tank, on
Monday.

Similarly, Lemhanas governor Lt. Gen. Agum Gumelar said the
permit was now being considered at the Armed Forces headquarters.

"The permit is now being discussed. Just wait for the
completion of the discussion," Agum said after addressing a
dialog on the future of the Armed Forces' political policies held
by the Surabaya-based Airlangga State University on Monday.

Government critic and former minister of transmigration,
Siswono Yudhohusodo, said the government should allow Megawati to
hold the congress.

Strong support

"Megawati's PDI has existed up to now and she has strong
support from PDI cadres nationwide. The government must,
therefore, grant her the permit to hold the congress," he told
reporters in Semarang on Monday.

Similar calls were also aired on Monday by former Armed Forces
chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Harsudiyono Hartas
and rector of the Purwokerto-based Jenderal Soedirman State
University, Rubiyanto Misman.

"Why doesn't the government just let her hold the congress?"
Harsudiyono said.

Rubiyanto acknowledged the possibility that unrest might erupt
if the government did not grant the permit.

The chairman of the government-recognized PDI, Budi Hardjono,
said on Monday that he would not mobilize his supporters to try
to disrupt Megawati's congress.

"Have a successful congress. We will not come and throw eggs
at the congress participants," he told reporters after meeting
President B.J. Habibie at Merdeka Palace.

Budi said his camp would concentrate on consolidating its own
organization and forget for the time being any attempts to
reconciliate with Megawati's faction.

Budi, who was elected PDI chairman in a government-sponsored
congress in Palu late last month, cited his failure to secure
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization chairman Abdurrahman
Wahid's help to mediate the leadership dispute.

"Gus Dur (Abdurrahman's popular name) has no authority to act
as a mediator in PDI's internal dispute," Budi said while quoting
Abdurrahman's reply a few days after the Palu congress.

Abdurrahman has for years been a close ally of Megawati.

In a related development, Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha
denied reports that the provincial administration had provided
financial assistance to PDI congress organizers.

"We will only provide security protection for the congress,
but not money," he said as quoted by Antara on Monday.

Beratha called on PDI members and congress participants to
help maintain security and order during the planned three-day
congress.

"Security affairs during the congress should be the collective
responsibility of the government, the people and the congress
organizers," he said. (imn/emf/har/45/nur)