PDI congress still a tough forum for Megawati

By Imanuddin

JAKARTA (JP): When Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto finally said "yes" on Sept. 30 to whether the government would permit the Megawati Soekarnoputri faction of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) to hold their congress in Bali, many of her supporters yelled "Yes!".

Wiranto's statement was, for many people, a victory of some sorts for Megawati who has for more than two years been struggling in vain to obtain government recognition for her leadership.

It was especially gratifying because only days earlier National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said the police had yet to receive a request from Megawati for a permit to hold the congress.

That's because she did not make a request. She had earlier expressed how she was fed up with the "legality" struggle and vowed she would just go ahead with the gathering.

The government might look like it has lost -- especially because President B.J. Habibie himself finally gave the nod to the congress, albeit cloaked with a warning that the daughter of the country's founding president would be responsible for security and order during the congress on the tourist island.

In addition, it is clear even now that the three-day congress, which opens on Thursday in the coastal subdistrict of Sanur, will likely be a one-horse race for the ousted party leader.

Given how the regional chapters of her PDI have for the past weeks been racing to express support for her bid for the 1998/2003 chairmanship, it looks like she has an easy road to travel these coming days.

However, the agenda for the congress will not stop at the chairmanship election, and a tougher read is ahead when Megawati -- assuming she is elected -- will have to decide on who will sit in the strategic positions on the party's executive board.

That's where the real competition, and Megawati's toughest test, will be.

The recent developments in the party's internal affairs -- where many people, including retired generals, have raced to join her party -- will surely create new problems for her.

Among the noted retired generals are former chief of the Udayana Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. (ret) Theo Syafei and Maj. Gen. (ret) Raja Kami Sembiring Meliala -- once an outspoken legislator of the Armed Forces faction in the House of Representatives. Rio Tambunan and Widjanarko Puspoyo have abandoned Golkar and crossed over to Megawati's camp.

Last week, some 160 retired officers from the Navy's elite Marine corps followed in the steps of their fellow Army officials and joined Megawati's ship.

However, senior PDI member Abdul Madjid said all those expressions of support should serve to remind Megawati that she had to be careful in her selection of aides for the next five years. The first road test is looming, namely the general elections planned for next May.

Madjid, who was once an official of the Indonesian Nationalist Party (one of the five political parties which merged into PDI in January 1973), said Megawati must not be blinded by the new members' big names.

"She must put the party's statutes above everything else, as the basis for her selection," he said.

He suggested that Megawati consider an article in the party's statutes, which stipulates career planning as one of the main criteria for selecting the leader's close aides.

"Megawati should promote some of her long-term loyalists," Madjid said. "It'd be wise if those loyal supporters are given positions on the party's executive board."

He conceded that even this consideration would still leave Megawati a tough task, because she would be expected to accommodate the various factions that make up her party.

He did not dismiss the possibility that strategic posts, like the secretary-general and the chief treasurer, would be keenly fought over.

"The secretary-generalship is the second most prestigious position on the party's executive board," Madjid said.

He did not rule out the possibility that the newly recruited PDI members would want to have one or two positions on the executive board, including the post of secretary-general.

However, "only if he or she is an outstanding and widely accepted individual might an outsider be elected as the party's secretary-general."

Several names have circulated as strong candidates for the secretary-general post to replace Alexander Litaay, including deputy chairman Kwik Kian Gie and chief treasurer Laksamana Sukardi.

Theo Syafei, however, is also considered to have the potential to break with tradition and become a strong contender for the post.

Laksamana still tops the list of potential chief treasurers. But newly recruited businessman Meilono Suwondo has also been mentioned as a possible candidate.

Madjid called on the newly recruited members to be patient and to first establish their careers in the party. "They can still become senior party executive after 2003," he said.