PDI should return to status quo: Suhardiman

PDI should return to status quo: Suhardiman

JAKARTA (JP): The deputy chairman of the Supreme Advisory
Council, Suhardiman, suggested yesterday that the government
break the impasse of the rival leadership within the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI), by returning to the status quo.

Pending court rulings on a lawsuit filed by ousted PDI chief
Megawati Soekarnoputri against the government and the organizers
of last month's government-backed congress which elected Soerjadi
as her replacement, "a status quo should remain over the party's
leadership," Suhardiman said yesterday.

The leader of SOKSI, a labor wing of the ruling Golkar
organization, said the government should therefore consider
Megawati the party's lawful chairperson until a court ruled
otherwise.

"This stance is needed to break the impasse because the party
now has two chiefs," he said.

Suhardiman acknowledged that Soerjadi enjoyed the government's
support, but said he doubted the man would be able to consolidate
the party as the majority of members still wanted Megawati at the
helm.

Separately yesterday, Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical
Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid reiterated that the government
would only recognize Soerjadi.

At another occasion a diehard Megawati loyalist flatly
rejected Soerjadi's recent offer of positions in the House of
Representatives for her senior supporters provided they recognize
the rebel congress.

"Soerjadi's statement is an insult to us," said Aberson Marle
Sihaloho, an outspoken House member who has been in hot water for
his critical stand on the Armed Forces' political role.

"If we accepted his offer, that would mean that we recognized
the Medan congress and all its results, including recognition of
the army's role in politics," he told The Jakarta Post.

Also in Jakarta, deputy secretary-general of Megawati's board
Haryanto Taslam said almost 100 of the 306 PDI branches had sent
their lists of candidates for legislative councils to her camp.

He said he expected the remaining branches would show their
loyalty toward Megawati by also sending their list to her camp by
Aug. 15. The PDI branch in Bali has already declared that it
would send its legislative councils' candidates list to Megawati.

From the opposing camp, the secretary-general of Soerjadi's
board, Buttu Hutapea said his camp has yet to receive lists of
candidates from any PDI branch in the country.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung told a
school congress in Yogyakarta yesterday that he was "amazed" that
there is a party in Indonesia whose members love nothing but
scuffling.

He did not name the party but the audience could tell the
general was referring to PDI.

"Let's hope other political parties will not take it as a
model," he told participants of the Taman Siswa congress. He
asked them to stay calm and keep away from the bickering.

Separately, political observer Riswandha Imawan said that what
is happening within the minority PDI is only a "transplant" of
the conflict of interests in the government elite.

Without thorough consideration, some government officials
sought to dethrone Megawati because of fears that her charisma
would attract substantial numbers of voters and so pose a threat
to Golkar, he said.

The number of PDI-held seats in the House has been rising
since the 1987 election under Soerjadi's leadership but Megawati
has not yet proven she is also capable of continuing the trend,
he argued.

"Unfortunately, some people in the government are scared of
Megawati's potential. Their fear is rather groundless," Riswandha
said.

He warned that unless the ongoing PDI conflict is properly
resolved the government might be forced to postpone next year's
election.

The leadership conflict, he said, has been exploited by
numerous interest groups wanting to forward their own agenda,
including those who just want to trigger chaos. (imn/pan/har/23)