PDI-P faces troubles in East Kalimantan, Tangerang

The Jakarta Post, Samarinda/Jakarta/Indramayu

Hundreds of supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, staged a rally in front of the Provincial General Elections Commission (KPUD) on Friday following the disqualification of all of the party's candidates for the provincial legislature.

The protesters, wearing red T-shirts with the PDI Perjuangan's logo printed on them, complete with its election number 18, gave the KPUD one week to reverse its decision. They also blocked on roads leading to the KPUD offices and burned tires in front of the building.

"Should they refuse to change their minds within a week, we will not be responsible for the anger of our party supporters," said protester organizer Heldi.

The KPUD disqualified all the PDI Perjuangan's candidates from standing in the provincial legislative election after the party failed to submit a valid list of candidates.

The failure was caused by an internal conflict, particularly between the PDI Perjuangan's East Kalimantan chairman Imam Munjiat and his secretary Soekardi Jarwo Putro. The two apparently at odds over the list of provincial legislative candidates. The list of candidates needs to be signed by the party chairman and his secretary in order to be valid.

So bitter is the dispute that the two failed to submit a list of legislative candidate by the deadline on Jan. 19. The KPUD urged the two to patch up their differences and gave them until Jan. 27 to submit the list. The two, however, failed to meet the deadline, prompting the East Kalimantan KPUD to disqualify them.

In Tangerang, Banten, the KPUD was also considering banning the PDI Perjuangan from contesting the provincial legislative election as the party had not submitted a valid list of legislative candidates.

Party leaders said that a bitter dispute among members had prevented the party from preventing a unified list of candidates to the KPUD.

Meanwhile back in Kalimantan, Heldi said that PDI Perjuangan supporters in East Kalimantan were upset by the commission's decision.

In the 1999 election the PDI Perjuangan emerged as the largest party in East Kalimantan with 13 seats out of 45 up for grabs.

In Jakarta, party deputy chairman Roy B.B.Janis said that the party's executive board would continue lobbying the KPUD to compromise over the dispute.

"We have agreed that the KPUD could delete problematic candidates from the list, but not all the candidates as this would deprive our supporters of the opportunity to voice their aspirations in the upcoming election," Roy said.

PDI Perjuangan chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the President, had attempted to intervene in the dispute, sending a letter offering a solution to the East Kalimantan KPUD. However, the commission decided to stand by its decision to bar the PDI Perjuangan from the election.

Roy said the party was still trying to talk to the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jakarta to seek a solution to the problem.

"Also in Tangerang, we are trying to find a compromise as the KPU cannot just ignore the fact that there are millions of our supporters in these two areas," Roy said.

So far the KPU has not made any decisions on the problems.

Separately, Taufik Kiemas, a senior party member and Megawati's husband, said that both Imam and Soekardi would be fired should no solution to the dispute be found.

"We'd better fire them as their dispute has had an adverse impact on the party," Taufik said during a visit to Indramayu, West Java, on Friday.