No permits for PDI meetings, says Gen. Feisal
JAKARTA (JP): Chief of the Armed Forces Gen. Feisal Tanjung yesterday reiterated the government's refusal to recognize the executive board of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) led by Megawati Soekarnoputri when he said that no permits would be granted to her supporters wanting to hold local conferences.
"Permits for (branch) conferences will only be granted to the legitimate leadership of Soerjadi, who was elected during the party's congress," Feisal said. He was referring to the government-sponsored rebel congress last week in Medan, North Sumatra, which was held by Soerjadi's camp despite protests by Megawati.
Feisal was commenting on the call made by Megawati for all 27 chapters and 306 branches of the party to hold local conferences in order to consolidate and establish a unified stance against the Medan congress.
The party currently has two chiefs, Soerjadi and Megawati, with party members and supporters also divided into two camps.
The government and the Armed Forces (ABRI), however, have decided to recognize Soerjadi and now consider Megawati the rival leader.
One of the problems that has emerged since the congress is over who has the right to occupy the PDI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Jakarta. Soerjadi has said he would request the help of the army and police to take over the office which is currently being occupied and guarded by Megawati's supporters.
ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, however, has stated that the most ABRI would do to help realize the take over is to "issue appeals for Megawati to act wisely" on the issue.
Yesterday, Feisal said that the two camps should settle the question between them. "Let the two camps decide who will occupy the headquarters. It is their problem now," he said.
Syarwan agreed. "Let Soerjadi settle the problem. It is a challenge for him," he said on a separate occasion.
Meanwhile, displays of support for Megawati continued yesterday. A delegation of representatives from the five PDI's Jakarta branches staged a protest against the congress' result at the House of Representatives.
They demanded that the government invalidate the congress and its result, and reaffirm its support for Megawati. The protesters failed to meet House Speaker Wahono who reportedly left the House after they arrived.
In Yogyakarta, some 5,000 Megawati supporters marched along the city streets and made the same demands as their colleagues in Jakarta.
Suprapto, member of the PDI Yogyakarta branch, said his group would bring to account local party members who participated in the congress.
"They told us that they wouldn't go to the congress, but then they betrayed us," he said.
Reports said that none of the congress participants from Yogyakarta dared to return to their homes after attending the congress.
Separately, political observer Riswandha Imawan, of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, said the breakaway's congress did not benefit the nationalist PDI. Instead, it only boosted the position of its two competitors: the ruling Golkar and the Moslem-based United Development Party.
The question of the double leadership in the party will probably ruin its preparations for the general election next year, he said. "It's now impossible for PDI to prepare for the general election," he told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
Soerjadi will have very little time to prepare for the election, as there are still a lot of problems he has to solve, he said.
Riswandha also said the Medan congress was the worst political lesson to have ever happened in Indonesia's political history. "The congress was not the end of the PDI's internal problems. It is part of a new and more violent crisis which may continue to breed from the situation," he said.
Susilo Utomo, political observer from Diponegoro University in Semarang, seconded Riswandha's opinion.
"Conflicts in PDI will grow worse," he said, adding that one of the most difficult problems that Soerjadi will have to contend with is the increasing grassroots support for Megawati. (jun/rms/har/01/02/imn)