The PDI in an era of change

The PDI in an era of change

The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) led by Megawati
Soekarnoputri completed its national conference smoothly and
without a hint of trouble over the weekend. This signals quite a
considerable progress for Megawati's PDI in terms of its
relationship with the government. In the past, practically no
event staged by the PDI in which Megawati was scheduled to be
present ever managed to obtain a permit from the authorities.

Although the government still only formally recognizes the PDI
faction led by Soerjadi, no effort appears to be made at present
to obstruct the party's Megawati faction. At the same time,
Soerjadi's legitimacy (as party leader) is being undermined from
within: a number of the party's regional chapters which were in
the past forced to support Soerjadi, have switched their
allegiance to Megawati.

It was the course of history itself that laid bare all the
machinations that led to the birth to the Soerjadi-led PDI. One
after another, PDI leaders who had, up to recently, supported
Soerjadi publicly disclosed their involvement in the scheme (to
set up a rival party board and oust Megawati), including the
maneuverings led by government officials.

We don't know how the government will react to a
recommendation made by the recent national conference of the PDI
under Megawati that it disband the party's Soerjadi-led faction.
The government could, of course, go on to insist that the whole
dispute is an internal affair of the PDI. In the current
prevailing political situation, however, the government is well
advised to contemplate things a little more judgmatically.

In reality, at present, Soerjadi's PDI exists only on paper,
since it practically lacks any mass following of supporters. In
this era of reform, it would appear to be highly risky to try to
"help" Soerjadi through machinations as happened in Medan in the
past.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta