PDI officials upset by congress' cancellation

PDI officials upset by congress' cancellation

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of the Indonesian Democratic Party were furious yesterday at the East Java government's policy to cancel the party's local congress, scheduled for Monday, for security reasons.

Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, an Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) vice chairman and Fatimah Achmad, chief of the party's faction in the House of Representatives, lodged their complaint in person with East Java governor Basofi Sudirman.

The row erupted after Basofi rejected PDI's request that all functionaries of regency PDI chapters throughout East Java be invited to a gathering that would focus on the prolonged leadership crises in East Java.

In East Java the conflict-ridden minority party has 27 regency-level branches, with each having about 15 functionaries.

Basofi, a retired major general, argued that the local government would not be able to guarantee security if all functionaries, of each party branch, attended the gathering.

He insisted that each branch should send, at the most, only three of their functionaries so that security could be properly handled.

Soetardjo said he could not understand the governor's reasoning, saying that even the ministry of home affairs in Jakarta has given PDI the green light for the gathering.

"We are disappointed with the governor's decision. How can the (East Java) government prohibit PDI leaders from meeting?" said Soetardjo, who is also a House member.

The political crisis hit the PDI East Java chapter after the party's local congress failed to elect a new leader. PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri refused re-election of Latief Pudjosakti, who enjoys government favor, and instead appointed Sutjipto.

Basofi refuses to recognize Sutjipto and Latief. (29)