Soerjadi tells cadres to ignore biased media

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Chairman Soerjadi asked his supporters yesterday not to read newspapers which run stories on the party's internal conflict.

Soerjadi told reporters in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, that media reports tend to magnify internal party divisions and fail to tell the truth.

"Regarding the news concerning our party, we'd rather not read it," Soerjadi said after a meeting with the province's governor Herman Musakabe.

"The reports do not have any meaning. We will try to explain (the real situation) to both our cadres and the public in order to keep them uncorrupted by the mass media's influence," Soerjadi was quoted by Antara as saying.

Soerjadi, the government-recognized leader of the conflict- riddled, nationalist-Christian PDI, was on a preelection consolidation tour to the province. He arrived in Kupang from Waingapu, a small town on Sumba island, yesterday. Fatimah Achmad, who initiated the breakaway congress that propelled Soerjadi back into power last year, was in Soerjadi's entourage.

PDI's East Nusa Tenggara supporters denied Golkar a clean sweep in the province, which is predominantly Christian, by winning one seat in the House of Representatives in the 1992 election.

Local media reported yesterday that when he arrived in Waingapu, Soerjadi received a hostile welcome from supporters of his arch-rival, Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"There were no more than five people standing in my way, but the media exaggerated it. The media are not fair," Soerjadi said.

He said that his consolidation visit to Sumba had been a success and encountered no hurdles, a stark contrast to what the papers had reported.

Soerjadi reiterated that the PDI under his leadership would always seek harmony with the government.

No demonstrations were evident when Soerjadi and his entourage traveled to their hotel from the El Tari airport yesterday.

Soerjadi's return to the PDI helm sparked controversy not only because of the government support, but also because of its lack of legal basis. The extraordinary congress last year was held only three years into Megawati's five-year term as party leader. (amd)