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.