Solving PDI row

Solving PDI row

From Forum Keadilan

I am writing this letter out of frustration about the continuous difficulties befalling the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in East Java.

I note that the two men who have the authority to do something about it, the home affairs minister and the East Java governor, are not serious in finding a solution to the party's hubbub.

Prolonging the festering bickering inside the party is analogous to cheating the people. Everyone knows that the predicament suffered by the party is engineered by the government.

When the rival PDI leadership of East Java staged a meeting of hundreds of people, the authorities' argument for not stopping the meeting was that they were caught by surprise. How could this happen when discussions of only 50 people are easily disbanded? It is ironic.

The media also reported about a discharged party member who held a meeting with fellow cadres where huge banners were hoisted for the occasion. And there was no ban on displaying the banners. Is this another "caught by surprise" on the part of the authorities?

I believe the tactics of prolonging PDI's internal bickering will not pay off. As people are becoming more critical the tactic could backfire. The more harm the party suffers, the more sympathy it will get from the people. When there is political engineering to topple officially elected PDI chairperson Megawati, laymen like us will have a moral boost to support her.

DARMANINGTYAS

Yogyakarta