Rival PDI board's meeting disrupted

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)