Soeharto backs Basofi in PDI feud

Soeharto backs Basofi in PDI feud

JAKARTA (JP): East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman yesterday
said he has the support of President Soeharto on how he has
approached the row dividing the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
in his territory.

Basofi told reporters after meeting with the President at his
Bina Graha office that the PDI row should be resolved by the
party itself and that the governor is in a position to help.

But, first of all, the PDI leaders themselves must admit that
there is a problem, he quoted Soeharto as saying.

"They have to see the reality. They have to open their eyes
and minds to the fact that the problem exists. We cannot allow
personal interests to overpower wider interests, including the
interests of the party," he said, again citing the President.

If all parties accept that there is a problem, the next step
is to encourage them to meet and resolve it, he added.

The governor's remarks were apparently aimed at the PDI's
Central Executive Board in Jakarta which insists that the problem
in East Java has been resolved with the appointment of its chosen
figure, Soetjipto, as head of the chapter.

The PDI chapter in East Java has been split into two camps for
the past year, one supporting the leadership of Megawati
Sukarnoputri, the PDI chair in Jakarta, and the other headed by
Latief Pudjosakti, a former chapter chairman and a staunch
opponent of Megawati.

Basofi, who has been widely criticized for the way he has
shielded Latief, insisted yesterday that it was his duty to
protect everyone in his territory.

He pointed out that Latief still has a strong influence among
PDI members in East Java and if the provincial administration has
decided to recognize Soetjipto's leadership, it will open itself
to accusations that it is taking sides.

The East Java administration has repeatedly blocked Megawati's
attempts to formally install Soetjipto as the local chapter
chairman by refusing to issue the necessary gathering permit.

Basofi likened the row in the PDI to a conflict between "a
father and his son", rather than a conflict between "two sons".

This is all the more reason why the administration is
compelled to mediate, he said. "Certainly, we cannot let the
father simply solve the problem. Father and son must talk first.
You have to have pity on the son."

While Megawati has insisted that Soetjipto has been formally
appointed as the chapter chairman, the East Java administration
has recognized neither the leadership of Soetjipto nor Latief.

Last month, when the East Java administration set up the
regional election committee, the seat for the PDI representative
was left vacant pending the resolution of the leadership problem.
The government has given PDI until May to appoint its
representative to the election board.

Basofi said that if the May deadline is passed and PDI still
cannot not appoint a legitimate representative, the 1997 election
would still proceed. The fact that PDI will not be represented
would not negate the outcome at the polls.

The governor said he has attempted several times to bring the
opposing camps together to resolve their differences. But his
efforts were thwarted because Megawati's camp has turned down the
offer of mediation.

"To this day, he (Soeharto) has never said I was wrong," he
said, when asked if the President had criticized the way he
approached the problem. "But he did caution me that I should be
careful and avoid falling into various traps."

"Yet, others have said that I have been too cautious," he
added.

Asked about the impact of the row on East Java, Basofi said:

"It has not affected the development there, but the row is
still a thorn in the side of East Java. We can really feel it."
(emb)