Reformists ready to show Mega the door
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Branding themselves a movement to reform the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), prominent members of the party joined forces on Monday to bring an end to the domination of incumbent leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.
The movement, led by businessman-cum-politician Arifin Panigoro, said that if the party wished to transform itself into a modern political party that would stand the test of time, reform-minded members had to join the drive to release Megawati's grip on the party's structure.
"The party congress scheduled for March, will be the right time to propose the discarding of so many of Megawati's prerogatives. She must no longer be given the sole authority to appoint members of the central board," said Arifin who drew applause from hundreds of the party members who attended the declaration of the movement at the Sahid Jaya Hotel.
Other top party cadres who attended the function were PDI-P central board member Roy B.B. Janis, former state minister for state enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, PDI Perjuangan legislator and Megawati's younger brother Guruh Soekarnoputra, and secretary of the new movement Didi Supriyanto.
Two initiators of the movement, former minister of national development planning/chairman of the National Planning Agency (Bappenas) Kwik Kian Gie and party dissident Sophan Sophiaan, did not show up at the meeting.
PDI Perjuangan is to hold a national congress in late March with the main agenda of electing a new chairperson and to review its programs following its defeat in the recent legislative and presidential elections.
Arifin also said that Megawati's poor showing in the 2004 presidential election was striking evidence that the bulk of the party's constituents no longer supported her.
The movement also sought to strengthen the party's central board which is now manned by a small number of Megawati's close confidants, including Sutjipto and Pramono Anung.
"The party is too big to be left in the hands of a small number of people," Arifin said.
Arifin also announced his resignation from the House, saying that he did not have enough time citing his business activities as the main reason.
Roy, who also served as chairman of the congress organizing committee, said the movement would seek to propose a radical change in the mechanism to elect a new party leader.
"We have drawn up a proposal to bring democracy to the party... and I will feel deeply guilty if I failed to bring about such a change," Roy said.
The reform movement, however, would only seek an end to Megawati's executive power in the party as it did not want to remove her from the country's second largest party but plans to offer her a possible position on the party's steering council -- a new body designed to supervise the work of party executives.
The movement has also named several party cadres to be proposed to replace Megawati. They include Guruh, Kwik, Laksamana, Sophan and Roy.
Political analyst Syamsuddin Haris of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that the emergence of the reform movement within the party was an indication that it was at the crossroads of wanting to preserve old values and of embracing the principles of democracy.
"Megawati is both a burden and a blessing for PDI Perjuangan. Without her it is doubtful that it will garner the bulk of votes in the next elections, however her domination has been allowed at the expense of much-needed reform," he said.