Poll suggested to resolve PDI leadership crisis

Poll suggested to resolve PDI leadership crisis

JAKARTA (JP): A referendum of all PDI members should be held
immediately to resolve the dual leadership crisis within the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) if it wants to improve its
performance in next year's election, it was suggested yesterday.

PDI deputy chief Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno and political
observer Rudini agreed that it is almost impossible to
consolidate the party with the current dual leadership.

"It's is impossible to have a solid PDI if the two leaders
each claim to be the legitimate chief and neither is willing to
compromise," Rudini said in a seminar here on politics.

Separately, Soetardjo also gave a similar opinion on the
party's condition.

PDI has been split with one camp loyal to the democratically-
elected Megawati Soekarnoputri and the other backing Soerjadi,
elected in a recent government-backed rebel congress.

Rudini and Soetardjo also agreed that the only possible
solution to settle the dispute was to let the PDI members decide
for themselves who they want to be their chief.

"I think we should hold a referendum to resolve the situation.
Let them decide," Soetardjo said.

Asked whether a referendum would be a lengthy and costly
operation, Soetardjo said that the party could use the simple
sampling method to save money.

Rudini said a referendum was one of the many possible ways of
finding out the PDI members' choice of leadership.

He, however, did not elaborate on other methods of eliciting
the members' will.

Separately, R.O. Tambunan, one of the lawyers representing
Megawati, said yesterday that the lawsuit against the government
and the congress committee would be filed with the Central
Jakarta District Court on Thursday.

He said there are six parties the lawyers would sue. The first
defendant is a group of 16 party executives, who had initiated
the planned congress; the second is the congress organizers, the
third is the party's central board resulting from the Medan
congress, the fourth the Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie
S.M., the fifth the Armed Forces chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and
the last the Chief of the National Police Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo.

"We expect the court will rule that Megawati is the PDI's
legitimate chairperson for a five-year period of leadership and
reject the congress and its results," Tambunan said.

Strong support

Soetandyo Wignjosoebroto, a member of the National Commission
on Human Rights, said the government and rebel party members will
have a hard time trying to kick out Megawati because she has
strong grassroots support.

Soetandyo, also known as a respected political observer from
the Surabaya-based Airlangga University, said Megawati has the
grassroots support because she was elected democratically.

"She can't be toppled without uprooting the grassroots that
has become her main base," he told journalists in Yogyakarta.

And she is strengthening her position with support from non-
PDI activists, such as the newly-formed but unrecognized
Indonesian Democratic Union Party and non-governmental
organizations, he said.

According to Soetandyo, the government does not like to see
the PDI or any other political organization have the grassroots
support that will make them strong and threaten it.

"The government wants to remain the patron of all
organizations," he said. "This explains why the military charged
that the PDI has turned into a mass organization simply because
Megawati's supporters go out on the street to protest
atgovernment's meddling."

He said no one can deny that the conflict within the minority
party has been deepened by the government's intervention.

"It is funny to see that it is the Armed Forces chief of
sociopolitical affairs and the ministry of home affairs who talk
a lot about how the crisis should be solved. Isn't it a joke," he
said.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. M.B. Hutagalung, the police's deputy
chief of operational affairs, said here yesterday that the police
is ready to play a mediatory role in the Megawati-Soerjadi
dispute over the party's headquarters.

"We are ready to help if they ask for help to settle the
dispute," he said.

Current rumors suggest that the Soerjadi camp has asked the
police to help him occupy the party's Central Jakarta
headquarters, now under the full control of Megawati.
(imn/har/pan)