Soerjadi-Megawati meeting proposed

JAKARTA (JP): A well-known political analyst proposed Saturday that Soerjadi and Megawati Soekarnoputri, key figures in the rift-riddled Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), meet to bury the hatchet.

Gen. (ret) Rudini, a former home affairs minister, said in Semarang that reconciliation between Soerjadi and Megawati is probably the best solution to the dragging leadership conflict in the PDI.

"It is they (Megawati and Soerjadi) who have the mass support. So why don't they sit and discuss the best solution?," Rudini, who heads the Institute for Strategic Studies on Indonesia, said.

An end to the notorious bickering within the minority party, according to Rudini, is vital for the PDI to improve its performance in the 1997 election.

Another alternative, he said, would be for both party leaders to hold another extraordinary congress, as many people have also suggested, Antara reported.

He added, however, that such a congress would be able to end the conflict only if there was no external intervention.

Soerjadi, who toppled Megawati in a government-back rebel congress in June, is currently in limbo because the grassroots support for him is too weak to consolidate his leadership.

To his embarrassment, his recent trips to Central and East Java for consolidating meetings with his supporters flopped after supporters loyal to Megawati strongly rejected his presence.

In the latest twist, a senior official at the home affairs ministry said Friday the government would not object to Soerjadi being replaced if most PDI members so wished.

Elected by popular vote at a 1993 extraordinary congress, Megawati still claims she is the legitimate PDI boss, although the government has withdrawn its recognition. (pan/har)