Splinter group won't form rival board

Splinter group won't form rival board

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The splinter group in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) said on Monday its leaders would accommodate the
aspirations of party members who seek internal reform.

It does not, however, intend to challenge the party's central
board announced by reelected leader Megawati Soekarnoputri in a
national congress last week.

"We are not establishing a rival central board. Our reform
movement is aimed at salvaging the party's credibility in the
eyes of members, supporters and swing voters," one of the
founding members, Laksamana Sukardi, said.

The movement was founded by the party's senior politicians,
including former deputy leader Roy B.B. Janis, legislators
Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo and Didi Supriyanto, businessman Arifin
Panigoro and former legislator Sophan Sophiaan.

Earlier in the day, they visited the Ministry of Justice and
Human Rights, complaining about the undemocratic process of the
congress, which unanimously reelected Megawati as party leader
and named Pramono Anung Wibowo secretary-general.

Pramono is the party's youngest secretary-general to date.

Roy, who was appointed as the movement's leader, said the
congress violated the party's statute, as many of its
participants had been intimidated and lost their voting rights
during the congress, which was held on Bali island.

Laksamana said the movement would only accept party members
with clean track records.

Didik, who was named as secretary of the national movement,
said its members had cleaner track records than the figures
appointed by Megawati to sit on the party's central board for the
2005-2010 period.

The movement will not organize a rival congress to challenge
the outcome of the official forum, which ran from March 28 to
March 31.

"We are only taking steps to accommodate the aspirations of
congress participants, who were not given a voice during the
congress in Bali," said Roy, who chaired the congress' organizing
committee but was mostly absent from the event.

He said the split would not affect the unity of the party's
faction in the House.

"We will enlighten PDI-P legislators, to prevent them from
being trapped in the antidemocratic way of thinking that
prevailed during the congress," said Roy, who is a PDI-P
legislator.

PDI-P secured 109 House seats following the legislative
election last year, down from 124 in the 1999 polls.

Roy said PDI-P lawmakers who supported the reform movement
should not be dismissed as they had not broken party regulations.

"If dismissals occur, it would backfire on the party as the
public would view it as the removal of party members who were
speaking the truth. People will judge who is right," he said.

PDI-P secretary-general Pramono has talked of possible
disciplinary action against the splinter group, but suggested a
forum to resolve the internal conflict amicably.