PDI's exclusion from electoral body questioned

PDI's exclusion from electoral body questioned

JAKARTA (JP): Politicians yesterday questioned the
government's decision to exclude the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) from the electoral committee in East Java, saying the move
will reduce the significance of next year's election.

Hamzah Haz, a senior legislator from the United Development
Party (PPP), said the exclusion of PDI may diminish people's
trust in the legality of the forthcoming election.

"It should not have happened," chairman of the PPP faction in
the House of Representatives (DPR) told journalists.

East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman said in Surabaya on Monday
the local PDI chapter had to resolve its leadership rift before
it could propose names for the electoral committee.

Yesterday, the PDI executive board issued a statement, saying
that, with the exclusion of PDI, the electoral committee was "not
valid".

The statement reminded Basofi that the board, through a letter
dated Nov. 29, 1995, had submitted four names to represent the
party in the committee. "The letter was never answered."

"We call on the governor to refer to the letter in determining
the PDI representatives in the committee," the statement said.

There are two figures, Latief Pudjosakti and Sutjipto who both
claim to be the legitimate leader of the PDI chapter in East
Java. The government, which apparently backs Latief, refuses to
recognize either and insists on a fresh election.

Chief of the PDI central executive board Megawati
Soekarnoputri considers Sutjipto the legitimate leader and
charges Basofi with meddling in the party's internal affairs.

Andi Matalata from the ruling Golkar group said the exclusion
of PDI is regrettable.

He called on the rift-ridden PDI and the government to seek a
prompt solution to the problem.

Basofi's move, he noted, can ruin the "familial spirit" which
is strongly upheld in Indonesian political culture.

"The election is not a mere matter of winning or losing.
Everyone should realize that the election is a manifestation of
people's sovereignty," he said.

Even the spokesman of the Ministry of Home Affairs, H.S.A.
Jussac, called the exclusion of PDI in East Java electoral board
is making the government feel "defective".

Jussac told reporters that the solution now is for Megawati to
hold a meeting with all the party's leaders in East Java and
resolve the conflict once for all.

Riswandha Imawan from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta
said Basofi's move further attests to the speculation that
government officials are split in dealing with the PDI.

He pointed out that although Minister of Home Affairs Moch.
Yogie S.M. has recognized Megawati's leadership, the East Java
government nurtures its support for Latief.

"If the PDI crisis is not resolved soon, I believe fewer
people will go to the polls in next year's election," he said.

Riswandha observes that Megawati, the eldest daughter of
Indonesia's first president Sukarno, has begun to lose the
initiative in handling the rift within the PDI.

"This is obvious from her recent statement that the bickering
stems from not within the party, but from external forces that
want to see the PDI remain weak," he said. (pan/har)