PDI man found to have communist past

PDI man found to have communist past

JAKARTA (JP): The military command of West Java said
yesterday it has reason to believe that the chairman of the
provincial chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was
involved in communist activities in the past.

Lt. Col. Herman Ibrahim, spokesman of the Siliwangi Military
Command, announced yesterday the findings of the investigation
into the background of Djadjang Kurniadi, whose post as PDI
leader in the province has been rocked by allegations of past
communist links.

There are indications that he was involved, directly or
indirectly, in the Sept. 30, 1965, rebellion launched by the now
defunct Indonesian Communist Party, Herman told a press
conference in Bandung yesterday, Antara reported.

Djadjang was identified as a member of the pro-communist
camp within the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) in 1965,
Herman said. According to the investigation findings, together
with three other local PNI executives, he announced support for
the rebellion immediately after it was launched.

Djadjang never retracted his support publicly, but somehow
managed to clear away traces of his action later by obtaining a
letter certifying that he was not a communist and that he had
been the military's informant in the PNI.

This letter was issued by the Siliwangi command at the
behest of an officer called Col. Rasmita Usman, who later turned
out to be a communist himself, so the investigation report said.

Djadjang's leadership of PDI in West Java has recently been
challenged by some of his opponents within the party. PDI
Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose own leadership has been
rocked by dissensions, has given her support to Djadjang.

PDI is a 1973 fusion of a number of nationalist and
Christian parties, including the PNI.

All politicians who fill key posts like that of the head of
a chapter and those running for a legislative seat are required
to undergo military screening to weed out communist elements. The
Indonesian Communist Party, which was blamed for the 1965
abortive coup, has been outlawed since 1966.

Herman recalled that unlike in other provinces in Indonesia,
the communist party was never disbanded by the authorities in
West Java.

The party disbanded itself before it was outlawed, a move he
believed was done to cover the tracks of its members, Herman
said, adding that this made the latent danger of a communist
comeback in the region real.

He did not say what action the military has in store for
Djadjang, but in the past, such an announcement ended one's
political career.

"We appeal to all organizations and government agencies in
West Java to remain alert against anyone attempting to restore
communism in Indonesia," Herman said. (emb)