PDI-P defends its role in presidential election

PDI-P defends its role in presidential election

SEMARANG (JP): The executive board of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) blamed "unhealthy
democratic practices" rather than inept party lobbying for its
failure to get Megawati Soekarnoputri elected president in
October.

"Despite the party's victory in the 1999 general election, it
could not implement the 1998 Bali congress's decision to get
chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri elected as the country's fourth
president," Tarto Sudiro, a member of the party's outgoing
executive board, said as he read the executive's accountability
report at a plenary session of the congress here on Tuesday.

"This was because the presidential election mechanism based on
the 1945 Constitution makes divergencies from the substance of
democracy possible," he said.

The lengthy accountability report, read in turn by Megawati,
secretary-general Alex Litaay, Theo Syafei and Tarto, focused on
the work of the executive, and in particular its failure in the
October presidential election.

Tarto dismissed public criticism that the failure of the
party's faction at the People's Consultative Assembly was because
they did not establish a strong lobby compared to other political
factions.

He acknowledged that there were many who "blamed party faction
members' arrogance ... (and the) turning down of power sharing
with other factions", but contended that they had staged an all-
out battle during the October general session of the Assembly.

Megawati had been the favorite to replace the then president
B.J. Habibie at the start of the general session, after PDI
Perjuangan had swept to victory in the June general election.

However, she lost to Abdurrahman Wahid in the historic
presidential elections at the 700-seat Assembly on Oct. 20.

Loopholes

Defending the work of the outgoing executive board, Tarto
pointed out that in democratically developed countries there was
a consensus that the political party winning the elections had
the primary right to form the government.

"But in Indonesia this does not prevail because of an
unhealthy democracy," he said, while charging that
"constitutional loopholes were exploited by other political
forces to foil the PDI Perjuangan candidacy".

Tarto also claimed that certain "anti-Megawati factions" in
the Assembly used all means, including raising religion and
gender issues, to stifle their candidate.

"The atmosphere in the presidential election was dominated by
emotion rather than rationale, with the consequence that
negotiations, lobbying and other tools became idle," he said.

Explaining the reason for Megawati's acceptance to run for the
vice presidency a day after she was defeated by Abdurrahman,
Tarto said it was done to avert a critical political impasse,
which, due to the wide-scale disappointment of grassroots
Megawati supporters, could have jeopardized national unity.

Apart from defending the executives's failings, the
accountability report also slammed corruption during the B.J.
Habibie administration.

It also criticized Habibie's decision to allow a ballot in the
former province of East Timor.

"Habibie had no authority to take such a decision because his
government was transitional," Tarto remarked.

Later in the evening, PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Mochtar
Buchori expressed confidence that despite a few negative
reactions, the report was likely to be unanimously accepted by
the congress.

Political expert and noted PDI Perjuangan-watcher Cornelis
Lay, who is participating in the congress as an observer, hailed
the accountability speech, saying that despite Megawati's loss in
the presidential election, her readiness to be nominated as vice
president was to her credit.

"Megawati accepted the nomination to avoid a possible
political confrontation between the two powerful political forces
-- the nationalist camp and the traditionalist Muslim one," he
said.

With Megawati not expected to face any serious challenges to
her re-election, attention has focused here on the candidates for
the strategic post of party secretary-general.

Widely talked about candidates include incumbent Alex Litaay,
Roy Janis, the head of the party's Jakarta chapter and Cornelis
Lay. (har/swa/rms)