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