PDI defeat is laughing stock

PDI defeat is laughing stock

SEMARANG: About 60 supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri
celebrated Thursday the humiliating election defeat of the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) under the government-backed
leadership of Soerjadi.

Megawati, elected PDI chief in 1993 and overthrown by Soerjadi
in a breakaway congress last year, was barred from running in the
May 29 election.

Her supporters flocked to the Batang regency PDI office to
laugh at Soerjadi's poor performance which gave the party only 11
of the 425 contested House of Representatives seats.

They laughed even louder when their cheer leader said the PDI
had "suddenly got an additional seat from nowhere" for the North
Sumatra constituency.

They said the "North Sumatra windfall" was a mere trick by an
outside force to help Soerjadi's deputy Fatimah Achmad get a seat
in the House.

They dispersed without incident, but promised to return with
more Megawati supporters to laugh louder. They called on fellow
supporters in other regions to do likewise. (har/pan)