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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