PDI-P denies moves to undermine axis force
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) rejected on Friday accusations that it was behind a plan to methodically undermine the "axis force".
Senior PDI Perjuangan executive Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno said the accusations were intentionally made by a "third party" in attempt to damage relations between PDI Perjuangan and the axis force.
"It's not true. We have good relations with members of the axis force," said Soetardjo, who is also deputy speaker at the House of Representatives.
PDI Perjuangan's faction chairman in the House, Sutjipto, also denied allegations that his party was taking revenge against the axis force.
The axis force is a loose coalition of Islamic political parties with the National Mandate Party (PAN), which helped thwart PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri's bid for the presidency.
"We're not doing anything against them. They (the axis force) are just overly audacious," Sutjipto said.
The political feud began surfacing when President Abdurrahman Wahid announced he had accepted the resignation of United Development Party (PPP) chairman Hamzah Haz from the Cabinet, despite later allegations that Hamzah had not submitted a formal resignation request.
PPP and axis force members have also expressed disappointment that Abdurrahman chose a non-axis force member to replace Hamzah as coordinating minister for people's welfare and poverty eradication.
Several axis force members have alleged that the move was part of a conspiracy to weaken the axis force.
Without accusing any single party, Assembly Speaker Amien Rais threatened on Thursday to take action against parties which tried to undermine the axis force's strength.
PPP deputy chairman Tosari Wijaya also alleged that there was a "grand conspiracy" to destroy the axis force. He said attempts by PDI Perjuangan legislators to censure Amien Rais over his federalism remarks were part of the conspiracy.
Tosari also accused PDI Perjuangan of spreading graft rumors related to Hamzah Haz and Crescent Star Party (PBB) chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
The head of the PBB faction chairman in the House, Ahmad Sumargono, said he did not believe there was a conspiracy by the PDI Perjuangan board to taint the axis force. However, he did not deny that individual members might be carrying out such moves on their own initiative.
"I suspect that it is conducted by several PDI Perjuangan members," Sumargono said on Friday.
Unwise move
Meanwhile in Bandung, West Java, PAN chairman Amien Rais said on Friday the axis force would not take drastic action in the wake of PPP's departure from the Cabinet.
"The world will not end because we lost one seat in the Cabinet," Amien said after opening a Muhammadiyah Tanwir leadership meeting here.
Nevertheless, he appeared to be continuing with a bid for the axis force to be given a seat in government, albeit not a Cabinet post.
"There are still a lot of state agencies or other institutions such as the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) or Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) that can be filled," said Amien, who is also the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker.
Amien said that despite various rumors, the axis force was solid.
"The axis force is not fractured as some people suggest ... on the contrary, the other (group) is breaking up," he said.
Amien again refused to elaborate on the subject, emphasizing that the President needed to act more wisely when taking such decisions.
"Even (former president) Soeharto, who was called authoritarian, always requested evaluations before replacing his ministers," Amien said.
In Semarang, Central Java, the PPP provincial chapter's secretary Masruhan Syamsur said on Friday that his chapter would fight any attempt to depose party deputy leader Zarkasih Nur from his post as state minister of cooperatives, small and medium enterprises.
"We will continue to support Zarkasih and will discuss the whole issue further at the next party leadership meeting," Masruhan said.
"If Zarkasih also quits, then PPP and the axis force would suffer a double loss. So let's not be too emotional and not call on him (Zarkasih) to give up the post out of solidarity," he said.
PPP's central board is slated to hold a two-day leadership meeting from Sunday and the meeting will ask the President to clarify rumors that Hamzah was being investigated for graft.
"In the meeting we'll also further elaborate on the PPP role as an opposition party. It's important to keep the party's unity and to stop efforts to undermine each other," Masruhan said. (jun/43/har/edt)