PDI's defeat

PDI's defeat

From Jayakarta

A headline in Jayakarta (June 7) read: 'Mega tentang kekalahan telak PDI, kalau masih hidup Bung Karno pun prihatin' (Mega on PDI's flat defeat. If Bung Karno were still alive he, too, would be very sad). When reading between the lines, I found that Mbak Megawati was deeply concerned about the way the recent campaign was conducted which was marred by violence and rioting and claimed the lives of many supporters. It has nothing to do with the few votes won by the Indonesian Democratic Party's government-backed leader Soerjadi.

As a good citizen, I must stick to what President Soeharto said recently. Regarding the implementation of the 1997 general election, the President said: "There have been efforts made by a small group, who admits to be struggling for democracy, to foil the general election, but they in fact have shown undemocratic behavior. This small group wants to force its ideas onto the larger group. Now it is up to society to judge the truth." (Kompas, May 31, 1997).

I would like to make it clear that I have no concern whatsoever over the defeat suffered by Soerjadi's PDI, because there are a lot of other problems that need to be addressed. The issue of poverty, for example, which still prevails in our society. Let the defeated reflect on their own problem.

RADJOKI FR. SINAGA

Jakarta