Sophan's resignation reveals party rift
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The resignation of legislator Sophan Sophiaan from both the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) may have been triggered by intense pressure to tow the party line on controversial issues, a fellow legislator said.
"We (legislators of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, PDI Perjuangan) are being forced to follow the policies outlined by the party's executive board," Aberson Marle Sihaloho told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Aberson, who has always maintained his critical and independent stance, even under the repressive rule of former president Soeharto, refused to reveal the policies that had been forced upon PDI Perjuangan legislators, saying only that such coercion negated their role as people's representatives.
Sophan Sophiaan submitted his resignation letters to the DPR and MPR on Friday, but will continue as a member of the PDI Perjuangan.
His resignation came in the wake of a visible split in the PDI Perjuangan over whether or not it should support the setting up of a House special committee to investigate House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, a suspect in a Rp 40 billion financial scandal involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). The PDI Perjuangan is the biggest faction in the House with 153 members.
Sophan said earlier that he could no longer tolerate unfair internal rivalry and conflicts, and that the party was no longer fighting for the people's interests but rather its own.
Aberson said on Sunday that an elite group in the PDI Perjuangan had issued a statement requiring every faction member to follow "all policies" mandated by the party's executive board, and that all PDI Perjuangan legislators had been forced to sign a statement pronouncing their agreement to abide by party policies.
"How can we follow the party's policy if we consider it to be wrong? I signed the statement, but I will always uphold the interests of the people," he said.
Fellow PDI Perjuangan legislator Sukowaluyo Mintorahardjo admitted that his party had been ineffective in promoting badly- needed reforms because of conflicting interests among groups within the party.
"We share similar concerns with Pak Sophan, but we are responding differently," Sukowaluyo told the Post.
Both Aberson and Sukowaluyo said that they would not resign from the House and would rather try to ensure that thorough reforms were pursued.
Aberson said he had suffered hard times under the repressive regime of former president Soeharto, and that he was familiar with external pressure.
"Perhaps, because Sophan is my junior he can't stand the pressure and mental anguish," he added.
He expressed concern over a comment made by PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary-general Pramono Anung that the faction had suffered no big loss with Sophan's resignation.
Aberson suggested that Pramono should consider the reasons behind Sophan's decision to quit instead of commenting on the resignation.
"Pramono said nothing of substance. He should look at the real state of the PDI Perjuangan," he said.