PDI activists cross to Golkar

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi: About 100 Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) activists loyal to the government-backed Soerjadi shifted allegiance to the dominant Golkar party yesterday.

They changed their political affiliation in a ceremony in which they threw away their red (PDI color) T-shirts and put on the new yellow (Golkar color) ones.

"From today onward, we will never give our political loyalty to any party but Golkar," said Venny Vanry Kondoy, South Sulawesi PDI vice chief who led the cross-over.

South Sulawesi PDI chief loyal to Soerjadi, Andi Hasit, said he did not believe those crossing to Golkar were really PDI activists.

He believed the event was engineered by PDI's opponents to boost Golkar's position in next month's election. (30)