Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Top leaders of Indonesia's ruling Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) yesterday called on one of their own ministers to resign after he charged that the party was the most corrupt in the country.
It was time for senior minister Kwik Kian Gie to go, they said, noting that he had a damaging habit of hitting out at his own party and its policies. They called him a "traitor", said he was "senile" and charged that he had forgotten his political roots.
But the State Minister for National Development Planning was unfazed by the strong words, saying he would step down only if a majority in the party asked him to. "But as of now, they do not," he declared.
The controversy was sparked by remarks that Mr Kwik, who was once viewed as a close political ally of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, made at a gathering with state officials on Monday.
He charged that the PDI-P was now the most corrupt party in Indonesia and that the problem was so serious it would cause the party's breakdown at next year's elections. He said he had information about the alleged graft but lacked documents which might help bring the offenders to justice.
His hard-hitting remarks caused a stir, even though this is not the first time he has openly criticised the party, which is led by President Megawati. He has publicly expressed opposition to a wide range of government programmes, from the role of the International Monetary Fund in the country to the privatisation programme to fuel and utility price hikes.
This has led to head-on confrontations with other economics ministers, including fellow PDI-P official Laksamana Sukardi, the State Minister for State Enterprises Supervision.
Alluding to Mr Kwik at a gathering with hundreds of party sympathisers at the President's private residence on Tuesday, Mr Laksamana said: "Nowadays, there are many cadres who get dizzy after they become officials, they no longer remember their party – forgetting the days when they were down and out and struggling." He went on: "Senile cadres who keep attacking the party from within should quit."
Mr Kwik's statement has also vexed Mr Taufik Kiemas, husband of the President and among the party's most influential players. "Mr Kwik should have a medical check-up," he said, before adding "or set up his own party". "Thanks to Mr Kwik, we are now consolidating. His remarks have made the PDI-P even more solid."
Joining in the attack, Manpower Minister Jacob Nuwa Wea, who is a PDI-P member, told reporters yesterday: "Party cadres who are no longer friendly with the PDI-P should just resign. The party should only accept people who are loyal and supportive of its programmes – there is no use in having cadres who condemn the party most of the time."
Even if Mr Kwik's claim was right, he had no business telling it to outsiders, he said. Amid the flurry of attacks, Mr Kwik maintained that his comments were not meant to stir up a controversy.
"There was a gathering with officials from across the country and I had to talk about corruption and money politics, so I talked about my party," he said.
He attributed the attacks on him to infighting between the "black" and "white" factions within the PDI-P. The "white faction", to which he belonged, was shrinking by the number every day as some PDI-P legislators frustrated with the rampant corruption in Parliament had quit in protest. There are only a handful of them now, among whom are legislators Mei Lo No Suwondo and Indira Damayanti Sugondo.
Others simply stopped their parliamentary activities after their revelations of graft among the party legislators ended up alienating them from the party.