Dita Sari: 'Habibie is Suhartoism without Suharto'
JAKARTA — Green Left Weekly's JULIA PERKINS recently spoke to DITA SARI, People's Democratic Party (PRD) leader and chairperson of the Centre for Indonesian Labour Struggle, in Tangerang women's prison near Jakarta, where she is serving a five-year sentence.
Question: How important is political education for members of the PRD at this stage?
It is important in order for us all to understand the new political context we face — not just the new members, but the leadership as well. Habibie is Suhartoism without Suharto. We must fight against liberal tendencies to accept Habibie as the face of Indonesian democracy.
Question: Since the July crackdown, has the PRD significantly grown?
Yes. New leaders immediately took the responsibility to lead the party and replace the leaders who had been captured. These new leaders have worked hard to rebuild the party. The PRD will hold a congress this year in order to consolidate the party and to understand the new political situation.
Question: Is it important to the PRD to make leaders of women comrades. Do you have a women's department?
It is important that women become political leaders but I do not think it is correct to have a specific women's department within the party at this stage because there is no discrimination in the party between men and women.
I have asked women workers who visit me if they see themselves as workers' leaders. They say that when they are leading an action, they do not see themselves as women or as being any different from the men, but primarily as workers. They see themselves as leading workers at their factory.
Recently, these women organised 10,000-strong actions here in Tangerang. They could potentially get a million workers on to the streets, but there is still a certain fear by workers of another military crackdown.
Question: Do you see a women's movement being built in Indonesia?
I think the horrific and highly publicised rapes of Chinese women during the riots in May have made women's organisations, including NGOs, more active and stronger. Men have been supporting them. That is really good.
Question: Do you agree that the PRD should focus on organising the urban poor at the moment, while continuing to organise workers, students and farmers?
Yes I do. The riots in May proved this strategy to be correct as the economic crisis has hit the urban poor first and hardest. We are telling the students, who held huge demonstrations in May, to keep pushing the workers to keep demonstrating. We are telling the workers to keep pushing the students. All sectors of society have to work together to fight Habibie and push each other on.
Question: How important to the Indonesian democracy movement is international support?
My current predicament, and the cause I represent, would not be as widely known if it were not for all the support and work of my comrades and friends in so many countries. Whilst in jail I have received many letters from supporters — from Jamaica, Australia, Ireland, the US, Japan, New Zealand and other places.