Yogyakarta PDI chapter deserts Soerjadi camp

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Soerjadi, the government-backed chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), effectively lost all support in Yogyakarta yesterday as branch members jumped ship and said they would now support Megawati Soekarnoputri.

D. Mugiyono, chairman of the PDI branch in Yogyakarta, announced that he and 14 other leading members had resigned, thus effectively wiping out Soerjadi's support here.

He said they would throw their support behind Megawati.

"For the sake of national unity in facing the future and for PDI's brighter future, we resign from Soerjadi's leadership," a statement signed by chairman D. Mugiyono said.

Separately, Parjiono, a pro-Soerjadi man who led the PDI faction in the provincial legislature, also tendered his resignation.

"My decision to resign was made in accordance with the chapter's organizational policy and it was also my response to the aspirations of PDI members," he said.

Soerjadi ousted Megawati from the PDI leadership in a government-backed congress in Medan in 1996.

Staunch Megawati supporters in Yogyakarta gleefully celebrated the news and immediately took over the PDI office which had been used by Soerjadi's supporters.

"From today onward, June 17, 1998, this building has become the property of PDI members who are loyal to Ibu Megawati," Nuryadi, who headed the takeover, said.

The chairman of the PDI faction loyal to Megawati, TH Sumardjono, was hopeful that the peaceful takeover of the party's branch office yesterday would be followed by similar action across the country.

"We've done it without coercion and violence. Anyway, the majority of PDI supporters are Megawati's supporters, not Soerjadi's," he said.

On Monday Megawati supporters peacefully took over the PDI office in Medan.

In a related development yesterday, thousands of Megawati supporters took to the streets of Semarang, Central Java, for a public show of force.

Clad in predominantly red, carrying flags, posters and banners bearing Megawati's face and that of her late father, the country's first president Sukarno, they marched peacefully around the city.

They had initially assembled at a local hall to hear Megawati who was due to address them but had to abruptly cancel. No specific reason was given for the cancellation.

After several hours of parading round the city they dispersed peacefully. (23/har)