Trouble is brewing in PDI party again

Trouble is brewing in PDI party again

JAKARTA (JP): Trouble is brewing again in the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) as a number of party leaders in the region
denounced the leadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri.

In Aceh and North Sumatra, the party has been split between
pro- and anti-Megawati elements, with each one having their own
leadership boards.

Megawati, the daughter of former president Sukarno, was swept
to the PDI leadership last December by popular vote during a
party congress. She outdid the candidates who had the tacit
support of the government.

Now as she tours the regions to oversee the election of the
local boards, she is finding that many of those who opposed her
leadership have continued to try to undermine the party.

Her critics said she meddled too much in the affairs of the
regional boards and pushed for her supporters to fill the top
posts in the regions.

In Aceh, Thaib Ali announced this week the formation of his
own board after he lost an election he called unfair and not
truly reflecting the aspirations of the local PDI supporters.

In Medan, Edy Suparman, a senior leader of PDI's North Sumatra
chapter, said he is also planning to form his own board and
denounced the line up of the new board as unrepresentative.

Edy said many of those appointed to the board at the regional
congress on Aug. 4-5 were chosen because of their wealth.

He also expressed his disappointment in Megawati. "She has not
inherited the charisma of her father," he said as quoted by the
Republika daily.

Megawati also faced dissension during the congress of the
PDI's East Java chapter which failed to elect a new board last
month. There were also problems during the West Java chapter's
congress.

The chairman of PDI's chapter in Jakarta, MAS Alex
Asmasoebrata, meanwhile appealed to all party members nationwide
for restraint.

Alex said the conflicts in the various regions are harming the
party's image.

He denied the suggestions that Megawati had been dictating the
course of the various regional congresses. "I think the people
who made these suggestions were simply aiming to discredit
Megawati."

Alex, one of the PDI leaders who rallied behind Megawati
during the party congress last December, also announced on
Tuesday his intention to run for election when the Jakarta
chapter holds its congress next month.

He is being challenged by Untung Soetomo, a member of the
party's central executive board, who announced his candidacy
earlier. (emb)