PDI activists promise to expand color war

PDI activists promise to expand color war

SURAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) activists
loyal to the dethroned Megawati Soekarnoputri here are
threatening to extend the political color war to other cities
across Central Java.

PDI activists have changed the color of objects in public
places in Surakarta (Solo) from yellow to red and white, the
colors of the Indonesian flag.

PDI and the United Development Party (PPP) charge that the
yellowization is electioneering by the dominant political
organization Golkar, whose color is yellow, two months ahead of
the official campaigning period.

Last month, PPP activists who loathed the local government's
color campaign repainted yellow objects white, a supposedly
"neutral" color. But the irate mayoralty repainted them yellow.

Willem Tuturima, deputy leader of the Central Java PDI
chapter, claimed the campaign against the government-sponsored
"yellowization" drive was supported by the public.

"We are representing the Central Java people who don't like
the yellowization campaign," Willem claimed.

The Central Java PDI chapter took its objections to the
yellowization campaign to the House of Representatives in Jakarta
but the complaint went unheeded, he added.

A spokesman for the Surakarta mayoralty, Handartono, reacted
strongly to the PDI activists' political rebellion.

"Whatever their reason might be, changing the color of public
facilities without the government's consent is illegal. They are
acting against the government," he said.

Megawati was ousted by Soerjadi at a government-backed
congress in Medan last year. She still claims the congress was
illegal and that she is the legitimate party chief.

Political observer MT Arifin of Muhamadiyah University in
Surakarta said the color war was a manifestation of the public's
disgust at the state's domination.

"It is cultural resistance against the state's domination," he
said.

Yanuar P.W., secretary of the Central Java and Yogyakarta
chapters of the Indonesian Nationalist Students Movement, said
the PPP and PDI activists had not violated any laws when they
repainted the yellow objects.

"Moreover the local government has no legal basis to decide to
paint everything yellow," he said. (har/pan)