PDI rebels call on Megawati to defend herself
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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