PDI rallies provoked by govt: Megawati
PDI rallies provoked by govt: Megawati
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) said
yesterday that the continuing waves of street demonstrations
across Indonesia were provoked by the government's meddling in
its internal affairs.
PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri said in a statement also
signed by her secretary-general Alex Litaay that the massive
protests would not have occurred had the government not first
engineered the rebel congress last month and then recognized the
result.
The congress held in Medan, North Sumatra, from June 20
through 22 ousted her and replaced her with Soerjadi, a former
PDI chairman whose re-election in 1993 was rejected by the
government. A subsequent extraordinary congress in the same year
democratically elected Megawati.
"If anyone should be held responsible for the protests, it is
chiefly the government, which engineered this unconstitutional
congress," Megawati said.
"We object to the government's effort to put the blame for
what has happened solely on PDI activists, who abide by the
constitution and love democracy," she added.
She also refuted military officials' charges that PDI
demonstrators had been "brutal". She said that last week's
protest to the House of Representatives was peaceful and orderly.
The "Gambir incident" which took place near Gambir railway
station here on June 20, in which more than 100 people were
injured, was provoked by individuals among the security officers
in charge, Megawati said.
The rally involved an estimated 5,000 PDI activists protesting
the Medan congress which was opened by Minister of Home Affairs
Moch. Yogie S.M.
The secretary for the Agency for the Coordination of Support
for the Development of National Stability (Bakorstanas) Lt. Gen.
Soeyono claimed last week that PDI supporters were increasingly
brutal. They also twisted facts, he complained.
Megawati said the government had neglected a warning that
support for the "unconstitutional and illegal" congress could
become a destabilizing factor and disrupt next year's general
election.
Megawati lamented the fact that initial pleas not to condone
the illegal congress fell on deaf ears with the government.
"The government did not hear our pleas, and in a very
transparent and arrogant way opened the illegal congress," she
said.
Meanwhile in Semarang, some 3,000 people yesterday held an
orderly but vocal demonstration to display their support for
Megawati.
The demonstrators, comprised of people from all walks of life,
gathered at Diponegoro Sports Stadium and proceeded along a two-
kilometer route ending at the rear entrance of the Governor's
residence.
Under the watchful eye of several hundred security forces they
shouted slogans denouncing Soerjadi whom they said was the
government's "political puppet and clown."
"We support Megawati, the true leader of the PDI and our
future president," shouted one man. "Megawati, our new
presidential candidate," yelled another.
Similar displays of support for Megawati also took place
yesterday in various cities throughout Central Java, including
Salatiga, Surakarta and Batang. (har/mds)
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