PDI Perjuangan executives leave party to join PAN

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A group of frustrated Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) executives in the East Java town of Sidoarjo have switched their allegiance to the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Many of the executives said the decision to leave PDI Perjuangan was triggered by the party's failure to accommodate the interests of grassroots supporters.

However, one of the 15 local politicians to switch parties, Zarqoni, said the decision to join PAN was made after PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri assumed the presidency in July 2001, replacing Abdurrahman Wahid.

"We thought our duty had been accomplished after Megawati took over the presidency," Zarqoni said after a meeting with PAN chairman Amien Rais in Surabaya on Saturday.

The 15 politicians were leaders of six PDI Perjuangan district offices, including those in Krian, Gondang Legi and Tabanan.

Zarqoni denied that he moved to PAN because of frustration with PDI Perjuangan's performance.

There have been reports that many PDI Perjuangan executives in regency chapters in East Java are angry about the intervention of the party's executive board in the gubernatorial election.

According to the reports, the party's regency officials felt the preferred gubernatorial candidate of PDI Perjuangan's executive board was not the candidate the people wanted.

Recent surveys have indicated declining public support for PDI Perjuangan nationwide. These surveys have predicted the party will get significantly fewer votes in the 2004 elections than it did in the 1999 poll.

Amien Rais said the PDI Perjuangan executives were not alone in jumping to his party, as several members of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in East Java had also joined PAN.

"I think this is quite common. There is no need for us to blow it out of proportion," Amien said as quoted by Antara.

East Java is a stronghold for both the PKB and PDI Perjuangan.

Amien said the practice of moving from one party to another was common in democratic countries, including the United States.

He said he would not object to PAN members switching parties, as long as they did so voluntarily.

In Jakarta, PDI Perjuangan official Kwik Kian Gie urged fellow party leaders to work harder ahead of the 2004 legislative elections.

In the 1999 elections, PDI Perjuangan was the top vote-getter with 34 percent of the vote.

Kwik said the surveys predicting PDI Perjuangan would fail to live up to its performance in 1999 should serve as a wake-up call for party leaders.

"We can draft a strategy to win the elections, but whether or not it works remains a big question," Kwik said.

Kwik headed the party's research and development department when it recommended radical changes to the party, including Megawati's resignation as chairwoman to enable her to focus on her state duties.

Shortly after these recommendations were made, Kwik resigned as head of the department, which was subsequently restructured by the party's executive board.