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)