PDI rebels call on Megawati to defend herself
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) splinter group's congress is not meant to topple incumbent chief Megawati Soekarnoputri, but to allow her to defend her leadership, according to leading dissenter Fatimah Achmad.
"The congress is scheduled to hear the party central executive board's account on 15 decisions taken in the 1994 national meeting," said Fatimah, who chairs the congress organizing committee at the congress venue in Medan, North Sumatra, yesterday.
"Whether or not the congress would elect a new chairperson depends on the attending representatives of the party branches," she said.
The five-day congress will be opened by the Minister of Home Affairs, Moch. Yogie S.M., tomorrow morning. Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung has said he will attend the gathering.
Among the 15 decisions of the 1994 meeting which Fatimah mentioned were those regarding party statutes and leadership. Some of the conflicts revolve around the question of whether the 1994 or 1986 statutes are the valid ones.
According to Fatimah, representatives of 18 of the existing 27 chapters have arrived at the congress venue in the Pangkalan Mansyur Haj Dormitory. "We hope that more chapters' representatives will be coming," she said.
Here in Jakarta, members of the National Commission on Human Rights discussed the validity of the congress with the Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security, Soesilo Soedarman. Some military officials, including assistant to Armed Forces chief of Sociopolitics Maj. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo, attended the meeting.
Commission Secretary-general Baharuddin Lopa supported the congress, saying it was an acceptable solution to problems and was expected to be able to channel all party members' aspirations.
He said, however, the congress would be valid only if it was also attended by Megawati's camp. Megawati had earlier said she would not come to the congress, which she insisted violated the party's constitution.
Separately, political observer Soehardjo S.S. said the congress would only breed new problems, and not solve them as some officials have suggested.
Soehardjo, a lecturer at the Semarang-based Diponegoro University in Central Java, said the gathering may run smoothly, but a new crisis may appear, as there have been indications that strong grassroot support is growing for Megawati.
Support for Megawati's camp was displayed yesterday when thousands of people staged rallies in various cities in Java. Most protested the government's endorsement of the congress.
Some 700 members of PDI's Jakarta chapter, for instance, came to the Home Affairs Ministry on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta, stopping traffic and forcing police to close the street for two hours.
Riding on four buses, two trucks and more than 15 vehicles of various types, the protesters demanded but failed to meet with the minister, who reportedly was attending a meeting outside the office.
"Why did the ministry approve the request of only a small group to convene the congress, but disregard the position of a million other PDI members?" said one supporter, Tarmidi Suhardjo,
At the House of Representatives, some 2,000 activists from non-governmental organizations and PDI supporters also held a demonstration of support for Megawati.
In Surabaya, East Java, thousands of PDI cadres and supporters took to the capital city's streets to protest the government's stance in the crisis.
In Klaten, Central Java, hundreds of PDI cadres staged a rally and formed a procession along some city streets, also in support of Megawati. (imn/15/har)
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