PDI-P loses 50% of voters, discord, 'defiance' abound

PDI-P loses 50% of voters, discord, 'defiance' abound

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In a show of distrust of their current House of Representatives
legislators, a large group of Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) rank and file members have proposed new
names for the legislative candidates for the 2004 election.

PDI Perjuangan secretary general Soetjipto said on Tuesday
that around 50 percent of the names proposed by the party's
regency branches from across the country were new.

"Many of our branches have complained of the lack of
communication and support from their representatives at the
House. Smarting from the experience, they've decided to back new
candidates," Soetjipto said after the party's weekly meeting led
by chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri.

He said most regency branches considered the current
legislators to be failures when it came doing anything for their
constituents or fighting for their interests after their
election.

"We also will withhold candidates who are not supported not by
the people in their respective areas. It does raise questions,
however, that they enjoy support in other areas," a seemingly
puzzled Soetjipto added.

The party's deputy secretary general Pramono Anung Wibowo said
the list of candidates would be finalized during a national
meeting here on Nov. 19, with the roster to be filled in
numerical order.

PDI Perjuangan has suffered decreasing popularity since
Megawati was appointed President in July 2001 after Abdurrahman
"Gus Dur" Wahid was ousted by his political opponents. The loss
of huge numbers of supporters, according to analysts was due to
her and the party's perceived failure to fulfill their reform
movement promises.

The party's internal research agency earlier disclosed that
the party's popularity was radically slashed by nearly 50
percent, saying that of the 35 percent of the total who voted for
the party in 1999, only around 20 percent are likely to cast
their votes for the party in 2004.

Many other surveys conducted by various research agencies
recently also drew similar conclusions, that PDI Perjuangan had
lost about 80 percent of the public's trust.

Pramono dismissed the worries, saying the party would gain
confidence as the list of candidates would include several
prominent names.

Soetjipto further disclosed in the press conference that the
central executive board of the party had threatened to dismiss a
number of the party's legislators from the House -- those that
continue to be considered "defiant" in their non-conformist
response to the party's orders.

"We will dismiss them, at least from their position at the
House, if they continue this defiance of party instructions,"
Soetjipto said, refused to mention the names of the independent-
minded legislators.

A source from within the party, however, disclosed that the
legislators in question had been reprimanded twice by the central
executive board, and one was Haryanto Taslam, and the others
possibly Meliono Soewondo and/or Arifin Panigoro.

Haryanto, Meliono and several legislators have been labeled as
defiant members because they have had the courage to criticize
Megawati in public and the audacity to make their own decisions
on House votes, often in direct opposition to the executive
board.

Arifin, who still holds the title of deputy chairman of the
party, seems to have had a major falling out with the party's top
brass, marked by his absence from party meetings over the last
seven months and last week's flat refusal to meet Megawati after
she had summoned him.

Soetjipto said that the party would no longer tolerate such
defiance, which is considered disloyal and that dismissals would
be in order straightaway. "The dismissal will be decided soon,"
Soetjipto asserted.