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)