Iwan Triono/Hendra & GB, Jakarta – The Central Leaders' Committee of the People's Democratic Party (KPP-PRD) denied there has been a split in the party. The PRD maintains there was no break-away faction but rather the sacking of six inactive members who then announced the formation of a new organisation: the Socialist Democratic Association (PDS).

"The split within the PRD as reported in various media press is not true. What occurred was the sacking of several of the members of the PRD's Central Leaders' Committee," said a release received by Detik, Friday.

As reported earlier, Hendri Kuok and other PDS activist held a press conference at the Indonesian Family Planning Association hall (PKBI) on Tuesday to announce the split and declare 11 different points of contention between the FDS and PRD's Central Leaders.

Kuok who was PRD's former international representative in Australia and the PRD's representative in the General Election Commission (KPU) said that the separation was caused by existing internal conflicts in the PRD's organisations which developed into fundamental and irreconcilable differences. "It's a matter of democracy versus bureaucratisation," he said.

The release stated that the decision to sack six PRD leaders was the result of the party's National Presidium Meeting held between November 11-14, in Jakarta. The National Presidium meeting was attended by the Central Leaders' Committee as well as the Regional Leaders Committees. The six sacked members had been sacked were:

1. Ir. Coen Husuein Pontoh (Department of Education)
2. Hendrianto Kuok, SH (Department of Education and International Relations)
3. Mugiyanto (Department of Education and International Relations)
4. Ida Nasim Mh (Department of the People's Struggle)
5. Dyta Caturani (Department of the People's Struggle and International Relations)
6. Muhamad Ma'ruf (Department of Publications)

According to the release signed by PRD Chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko, the six were given the opportunity to defend themselves before the National Presidium meeting. However, none appeared until 10am local time on the last day, November 14. After that, at 2pm local time, they declared the establishment of the Socialist Democratic Association (PDS), as reported previously by Detik.

Before the sanction was put in effect, the release said, the six had been given oral and written warnings and even suspended from the PRD's Central Leaders' Committee.

Finally, after exhausting existing mechanisms within the party organisation, the PRD's Central Leaders' Committee ultimately suggested to the members of the party's National Presidium meeting to sack the six for negligence in their duties. The members then decided the six had not conducted their duties as outlined at the PRD's Second Extraordinary Congress in October, 1999 and had violated article 20 line 2 of the PRD's Guidelines: "Every member must carry out their duties and responsibilities as handed out by the PRD".

Furthermore, the PRD also denied that the party was not critical of President Abdurrahman Wahid, known popularly as Gus Dur, as charged by the six upon the launch of the Socialist Democratic Association (PDS) on November 14. "The PRD's attitude to the current regime of Gus Dur is clear, we never compromised with Gus Dur's policies which have clearly harmed the people," said the release.

The PRD's Central Leaders' Committee claimed that since February 2000, they have staged tens of actions and released thousands of statements at the central or regional level highly critical of Gus Dur's policies and performance politically, economically and in regards to the implementation of the law.

"We have criticised Gus Dur strongly because he has furthered the economic policies of neo-liberalism, has not been definite in the prosecution of [former president] Suharto, abusers of human rights, and in resolving corruption cases. Therefore, the argument of the PDS' founders that the PDS was established because of the PRD's uncritical or indefinite attitude towards Gus Dur was fabricated and untrue," said Central Leaders' statement.

According to the release, the PRD's program was determined by the highest mandatory body of the PRD-second Extraordinary Congress-which was approved by members of the PDS who attended at that time. The PRD's program is now to do away with false reformists and destroy the remnants of the New Order of former president Suharto: the Golkar Party, militarism, corrupted bureaucrats.

The PRD also said that the claim of the founders of the PDS that the party had become over-centralised, bureaucratic and silenced their aspirations was untrue. "The PRD's mechanisms uphold democracy.

The decision making at the of the PRD derives from the input of the leaders of the party from rural, subdistrict, city and regional levels," the release stated. "So that their claim that the PDS was established because of the PRD's uncritical attitude to Gus Dur and the occurrence of bureaucratisation and centralisation with the party was baseless," said the release.

In addition, the release claimed that the six had not been active in the party for six months. During that time, they had never been involved in the PRD's Central Leaders' Committee meetings, including plenary, National Executive or department meetings. They have made no contribution to the party at all.

"In a practical sense, they never conducted their duties as leaders of the PRD's Central Leaders' Committee of the People's Democratic Party (PRD). Because of their inactivity, they would clearly not know the dynamics within the party itself," said the release which was also signed by PRD Sec.Gen. Petrus H. Haryanto.

Despite the aforementioned differences, the PRD's Central Leaders' Committee stated that they support the PDS's establishment as a means to increase the existing discourse. "Now's the time for responsibility from the PDS to carry out their ideological, political, economic, legal and social-cultural programs. We are ready to cooperate with the PDS and other organisations which have the same platform as the PRD," ended the release.