Soerjadi tells cadres to ignore biased media
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)