PDI factions lock horns in Yogyakarta
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Tension between the Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) two factions here rose to a new high yesterday when a brawl pitting the conflicting supporters marred the party's campaigning in the city.
No fatalities were reported in the incident in Pakem subdistrict, 15 kilometers north of here, thanks to the prompt arrival of troops and riot police.
The brawl was the second of its kind during the campaign following a similar incident in Surabaya, East Java.
Yesterday's scuffle erupted when 350 supporters of ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri clashed with 75 activists of the government-backed PDI under Soerjadi. Both groups were on their way to a rally in Cangkringan, near Pakem.
The Megawati loyalists had just attended the funeral of fellow loyalist Suwarni Bimo Budi Sanyoto at Krapyak, 10 kilometers south of the sultanate city.
Instead of going home, some of the funeral attendees roared to Cangkringan in a motorcade.
When confronting their rivals, the Megawati activists began by taunting the Soerjadi supporters. The war of words however quickly turned into an exchange of stones.
It was a one-sided contest with the Megawati supporters forcing their opponents to abandon their trucks and motorbikes and scatter.
The security authorities arrested an unidentified Megawati supporter but released him after one of his friends lobbied them.
"The incident is more evidence that Megawati loyalists make up the majority of PDI members in this city," Wirawan, a Megawati supporter, said.
Megawati, elected PDI chairwomen by popular support in 1993, was removed from the top spot at a government-backed congress last year.
Calm campaign
The security authorities did not have to worry in either Jakarta, Bandung, West Java or Surabaya, as the PDI campaigning proceeded without traffic-jamming street motorcades.
In Jakarta, PDI Chairman Soerjadi addressed thousands of party supporters who braved heavy rain at Ahmad Yani field in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.
Soerjadi criticized the government for using illogical standards to compile poverty statistics.
"The number of poor people in Indonesia has decreased, but only because the current data sets a minimum monthly income of Rp 27,905 (US$11.30) as the poverty line," Soerjadi said.
"What can people buy with such an amount?" he added.
President Soeharto told a plenary session of the House of Representatives when submitting the 1997/1998 budget that the number of Indonesians living below the poverty line dropped to 22 million in 1996 from almost 26 million in 1993.
In Bandung only a few small convoys carried chanting PDI supporters to rallies.
The party's West Java branch chief Idi Siswaya said that his office was not organizing any rallies but had ordered supporters to distribute placards and banners.
An elated provincial police spokesman, Lt. Col. Istanto, hailed the quiet day after the deafening rallies of previous days.
In Surabaya, 100 PDI activists were lured away from rallies in Rungkut Madya and Krembangan Baru just as campaigners were about to speak, after Megawati supporters enticed them into holding a citywide motorcade instead.
Despite the small number of remaining attendees, mostly children, the rallies proceeded. (23/nur/ahy/amd)