Sudomo criticizes people jumping ship

Sudomo criticizes people jumping ship

JAKARTA (JP): People who abandoned the rift-ridden Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) for the United Development Party (PPP) are
"spineless," Golkar cadre Sudomo said yesterday.

"They're spineless. They wouldn't have jumped ship had they
really believed in their choice," said Sudomo, also chairman of
the Supreme Advisory Council and a close aide to President
Soeharto.

"But then, it's usual in politics for people to bargain," he
told reporters after meeting Soeharto here yesterday.

He was commenting on the increasing number of PDI supporters
who had switched their allegiance to the PPP. Some observers have
said this exodus may threaten the dominant Golkar, which has been
in power since 1971.

But many people are reported to have switched parties,
especially to Golkar, in recent years.

People claiming to be PPP and PDI supporters changed their
allegiances to Golkar last Friday before crowds at nine Golkar
rallies in Serang regency, West Java. Two of the new Golkar
supporters were given yellow party vests before the crowd at one
at the rallies.

On Sunday in Sorong, Irian Jaya, the PPP local chapter deputy
chairman, Bachtiar Dg. Nassa, resigned from his party to join
Golkar. "All of the results of development that we have been
enjoying are the fruits of Golkar's labors," he said in a
statement.

"I am doing this out of my own conscience, not because I was
pressured," he was quoted by Antara as saying. No Golkar
officials have criticized people for switching their loyalties to
Golkar.

In a town in North Sumatra on Sunday, dozens of people went to
a PPP office to pledge their support for the party.

More recently, groups disillusioned by the PDI's protracted
split have begun toting banners and wearing T-shirts with
slogans, which suggest that an unlikely alliance between the
Christian-nationalist PDI and the Moslem-based PPP is emerging. A
popular slogan is "Mega-Bintang Jaya".

Mega is a nickname for Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted PDI
chief, bintang or star is the symbol of the PPP and jaya means
victorious.

The PPP has been enjoying the exodus of PDI supporters to its
ranks so much that its chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum, has dared
to predict the party will win more votes in Jakarta at the May 29
election.

The government moved yesterday to curb the exodus by banning
expressions of the Megawati-PPP alliance at rallies, even though
PPP executives have been reluctant to recognize the alliance.

PPP Secretary-general Tosari Widjaya said last Friday there
was no written agreement on an alliance between Megawati and
Ismail Hasan Metareum.

"This (the exodus of PDI supporters to PPP) is legitimate in
an election campaign, which serves to politically educate all
Indonesians," Tosari was quoted by Antara as saying.

A PPP East Java chapter official, Sahar L. Hasan, said: "It
(the exodus) is not something that people should fear."

Competition

H. Mappa Nasrun of Hasanuddin University in Ujungpandang,
South Sulawesi, said Friday that Golkar and PPP could benefit
from the many disillusioned PDI supporters.

"They can compete to woo the undecided," he said.

The chairman of the government-recognized PDI faction,
Soerjadi, down-played the exodus: "No one is forbidden from
leaving the PDI. Likewise, if there are supporters of the other
contestants who wish to join the PDI, they would be welcome."

Golkar functionary Siswono Yudohusodo said recently that
changing allegiances should not be blown out of proportion and
that the PPP and PDI were not Golkar's enemies.

"Which is why, during this election campaign, there shouldn't
be any brawls between supporters," he said. (swe)