Rival PDI board's meeting disrupted
JAKARTA (JP): Conflicts at the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) came to a head yesterday when a rival board, attempting to hold a leadership meeting, became involved in a brawl with the other board's supporters.
Chief of the East Jakarta District Police Lt. Col. Gories Mere told reporters that the organizers of the planned meeting did not posses any permits. In addition, he had not been informed about the meeting.
"To conduct a national meeting like this, the committee should have a government permit," he said.
Some 190 supporters of the self-appointed PDI "chief" Jusuf Merukh planned to hold the two-day meeting at a youth hostel in Cibubur subdistrict, East Jakarta.
The meeting's participants had been waiting for the opening ceremony to commence when some 200 members who support the leadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the officially recognized leader of PDI, invaded the venue yesterday.
The two opposing camps then became involved in a brawl, which left a number of people slightly injured. The two camps were eventually separated, following the intervention of hundreds of East Jakarta district police.
The meeting was supposed to be a prelude to an extraordinary congress during which the rival board planned to establish its complete lineup, intended to replace Megawati's board.
Following the brawl, some of the supporters of Megawati interrogated the planned meeting's participants, and found five of them in the possession of membership cards of the ruling political organization Golkar.
The planned meeting's participants, coming from various provinces including South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Jakarta, West, Central and East Java, and the West Nusa Tenggara, had been staying in the youth hostel since Tuesday.
Leaving the youth hostel at 3 p.m. in three buses provided by the authorities, they were taken to the Pulogadung intercity bus terminal in East Jakarta for further transportation to their hometowns.
Meanwhile, head of the PDI research and development department Kwik Kian Gie charged that there has been a campaign to topple Megawati launched by some military district chiefs and officials.
He alleged that the officials have been pressuring leaders of PDI chapters and branches to push for an extraordinary congress. He did not give names.
"The approaches they use vary, but their goal is the same: to topple Megawati," Kwik told The Jakarta Post. "There is real evidence of this campaign."
Kwik said he had also been receiving reports about such pressure from a number of party executives, including Sabam Sirait and Sukowaluyo.
Kwik said that the research and development department has decided to meet the challenge head-on by sending questionnaires to chiefs of the PDI chapters and branches across the country, asking them whether they wish to hold the extraordinary congress.
"This department must not act based on hearsay only. That's why we are setting up a survey on whether there's a need for an extraordinary congress," he said.
He charged that some elements in the Armed Forces want to see Megawati resign, but in "a legal manner", which is why they urged the branches and chapters to convene the meeting.
Kwik said, however, he's confident that most of the branches and chapters are still staunch supporters of Megawati. "There are a number of chapter chiefs who have sent us statements that they will be loyal to Megawati," he said.
The party has 27 chapters and 305 smaller branches across the country.
Political observer Ramlan Surbakti of Airlangga University suggested that the disputing parties in PDI break the impasse by returning all authority to the executive board, Antara reported. (imn/swe)