PDI Perjuangan weakened by its own leader

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Internal rifts in the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) have surfaced of late, and, if not dealt with properly, could weaken the country's largest political party.

And the trigger for these rifts is the very person who made the party as powerful as it is -- Megawati Soekarnoputri, the party's chairwoman.

Controversial decisions by Megawati to block a proposed investigation of a graft case involving Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, and to support the reelection of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso have triggered acts of defiance by party members across the country.

When the time came for the House of Representatives to vote on the formation of a team to look into the Akbar case, many PDI Perjuangan legislators abstained or voted for the proposal, defying Megawati's desire to block the investigation.

One of those who voted for the formation of the team, Indira Damayanti Sugondo, later tendered her resignation from the House in an apparent protest against Megawati's stance.

Indira was the third PDI Perjuangan legislator to leave the House, following Sophan Sophiaan and Dimyati Hartono.

And some members of the party's Jakarta branch have publicly opposed Megawati's decision to back Sutiyoso in the gubernatorial election.

Also, according to some reports, PDI Perjuangan's Bali and East Java branches have gone their own ways, not implementing the policies of Megawati and the party's central board.

Ironically, these little rebellions are taking place with Megawati at the peak of her political career, as the country's President.

Sophan, the first PDI Perjuangan legislator to resign from the House, said public trust in the party was currently at its lowest level.

"All of these shows of defiance will definitely weaken the party. I have never seen these kinds of acts before," Sophan told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said these internal fractures were becoming a real threat because for the first time they had begun to involve the party's grassroots supporters, who form the bulk of the party's voters.

It was reported by Tempo magazine in its latest edition that disappointed grassroots voters had established the Communication Forum for PDI Perjuangan Cadres, as a meeting point for disillusioned party supporters.

The magazine said branches of the forum had begun to spread throughout the country, even reaching Papua.

This phenomenon is happening, Sophan said, because many of the party's executives want to retain power by making peace with the old power players from the New Order, like the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Meanwhile, some reform-minded party executives want to keep alive the spirit of the reform movement, which began when Soeharto fell from power in 1998.

PDI Perjuangan, which became the largest party after the reform movement and collected 34 percent of the vote in the 1999 general election, does not appear to be ready to dominate the political field. It sometimes seems the party is trapped by the lure of power, and forgets about the reform movement that it rode to prominence.

If the internal bickering continues and Megawati fails to take action to rectify the situation, the party will be hard pressed to muster the same level of support in the 2004 general election as it received in the previous elections.

Sophan warned that the fate of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), of which Megawati was a member until 1994, could eventually befall PDI Perjuangan.

He recalled how members and supporters fled the Soeryadi-led PDI because of their anger over the intervention of former president Soeharto in the party.

He warned that supporters might abandon PDI Perjuangan because of "disappointment with the party itself".

Sophan's warning about the loss of trust the party is experiencing should not be lightly dismissed.

But party executives, especially those close to Megawati, seem to be doing just that, playing down the threats by saying that PDI Perjuangan had always been colored with dissenting opinions.

"We are a democratic party, people have always had different views. It has always been like that since the day we were established," the party's deputy chairman, Roy BB Janis, told the Post.

Roy also played down the possibility that there would be an exodus from PDI Perjuangan, saying the party still had faith in the daughter of founding president Sukarno.

Political analyst Fachry Ali agreed with this view, saying that although Megawati was losing her traditional supporters, who formed the backbone of PDI Perjuangan's election success in 1999, she still had no competition within the party from other leaders.

But Sophan was of a different opinion, saying he would not be surprised if some party branches considered proposing a special congress to replace Megawati as chairperson.

"That could happen because she has abandoned the ideology of the party, which was to side with the people," he said.

He said that to save the party, the executive board should change its leadership style and begin to lend an ear to the people's wishes.

"Mega must listen to the people and their aspirations. That is the only thing that can save the battered image of the party," Sophan said.

However, whether Megawati will change her leadership style or back down from controversial decisions because of pressure from the party's grassroots supporters remains to be seen.

As one of Megawati's close aides said: "It is not her style to change a decision just because people ask her to do so."

When asked if she would maintain this style, even at the cost of the party's political image, the aide said: "I guess so."