PDI board urged to sue meddling government

PDI board urged to sue meddling government

JAKARTA (JP): A senior legislator urged the executive board of
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) yesterday to settle it's
conflict with the government over the East Java leadership rift
in court.

Aberson Marle Sihaloho proposed that the PDI sue President
Soeharto, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. and East Java
governor Basofi Soedirman at the State Administrative court.

The officials, Aberson said, should be charged with
disrespecting the PDI's internal rules, on the pretext that the
government is the "patron" of domestic political development.

"The government has no right to dismiss a political
organization's rules and declare them invalid. Beside, the decree
it uses as the legal basis for it's role as the patron of
political development is questionable," he told The Jakarta Post.

The minority party and the government have been at odds after
Basofi rejected PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri's appointment of
Sutjipto as the party's East Java chapter in 1994 to replace the
outgoing Latief Pudjosakti.

The conflict has been deepening after Basofi excluded the PDI
from the East Java electoral committee because both Sutjipto and
Latief claimed they are the legitimate local party chief.

While Megawati insists that there is no problem with the East
Java party leadership, the government maintains that her decision
to name Sutjipto is invalid.

Aberson, known as a supporter of Megawati, pointed out that
the President, the minister and the governor should be sued all
together, to find out who is in fact responsible.

"So far, the minister and the governor have kept saying that
they were just taking orders," he said.

He pointed out that a 1986 government decree used as the legal
basis for the legitimization of the minister as the patron in
political development is questionable.

"The 1985 law on political organizations does not empower the
minister in this way. Now let's have the State Administrative
Court decides whose interpretation is right," he said.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction in the House
expressed concern over the dispute and called on PDI executives
and relevant government officials to make peace.

"It's disheartening to see both sides rigidly sticking to
their positions," faction chief Suparman Achmad told journalists.

Suparman suggested that the opposing camps call in a neutral
mediator to seek the best solution. (pan)

Editorial -- Page 4