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)