Sat, 15 Aug 1998

Police to issue permit for PDI congress

JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said yesterday he would soon issue a permit for the government-backed Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction led by Soerjadi to hold a congress, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, later this month.

Roesmanhadi said the decision to grant the permit was merely a of the government's official recognition of Soerjadi's leadership.

"There is no problem. The police will issue the permit," Roesmanhadi said after attending a ceremony at the State Palace where President B.J. Habibie conferred some of the country's highest honors on 38 public figures.

In a meeting with Soerjadi and 11 colleagues Thursday, Habibie promised to fly to Palu to open the five-day congress on Aug. 25.

Habibie also assured Soerjadi that his government only recognized him as the legitimate PDI leader despite mounting public pressure on him not to imitate his predecessor Soeharto's stance on the political party's leadership friction.

"Habibie has hurt the people's feelings," Soerjadi's rival, Megawati Soekarnoputri, commented about the decision.

Soerjadi ousted Megawati, the eldest daughter of the country's founding father Sukarno, from the PDI chairmanship in a government-engineered congress in June 1996. Megawati claims that her five-year term does not end until December.

Only one month after toppling her, Soerjadi's supporters stormed the party headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta in a bloody incident.

After replacing Soeharto in May, Habibie's government has shown a more sympathetic attitude toward Megawati. The government did not try to stop a leadership meeting Megawati organized in Depok last week.

Megawati, however, has repeatedly turned down Habibie's invitation for a meeting.

Megawati's supporters have sworn not to allow Soerjadi to hold his congress and have threatened to use all possible measures to halt the plan.

Megawati's camp is scheduled to hold its own congress in Yogyakarta or Bali in October.

Megawati's supporters from the Jakarta PDI branch went to the National Police headquarters yesterday to demand the police ban Soerjadi from holding the congress.

Jacob Nuwa Wea said the planned congress had no legal grounds because the congress in Medan had not been legal either. The Supreme Court has yet to issue a verdict on Megawati's suit against the Medan congress.

The group met with Deputy National Police chief for Iintelligence Affairs Brig. Gen. Atok Sunarto, who then promised to give the ban request further consideration. This meeting took place at 10.45 a.m., 45 minutes after Roesmanhadi made his announcement.

"Up until now the government still recognizes PDI under Sooerjadi as the legal party. So we have to stick with that. But of course we would inform the National Police chief about this request," Atok said.

Jacob said: "If (Soerjadi's camp) inists on running the congress, we will try to stop them peacefully." (prb/edt)