Editing Fall of Suharto (section)

=== The first cracks emerge ===

{{See also|27 July 1996 incident}}

In 1996, the [[Indonesian Democratic Party]] (PDI), a legal party that had been used by the New Order as a benign prop for the New Order's electoral system, began to assert its independence under [[Megawati Sukarnoputri]], the daughter of Indonesia's founding father, [[Sukarno]]. In response, Suharto attempted to foster a split over the leadership of the PDI, backing a co-opted faction loyal to deputy speaker of Parliament [[Suryadi (politician)|Suryadi]] against supporters of Megawati. After the Suryadi faction announced a party congress to sack Megawati would be held in [[Medan]] on 20–22 June, Megawati proclaimed that her supporters would hold demonstrations in protest. The Suryadi faction went through with the sacking, and the demonstrations manifested themselves throughout Indonesia.{{sfn|Ricklefs|2008| pp = 518–519}}

Megawati's supporters then [[27 July 1996 incident|took over the PDI headquarters in Jakarta]]. On Saturday 27 July, a mob including soldiers in civilian clothing and thugs from the army-associated [[Pemuda Pancasila]] organization forcibly entered the building. According to the [[National Commission on Human Rights (Indonesia)|National Human Rights Commission]], five people were killed, 149 injured and 74 missing – mostly from those arrested by the military. The attack was followed by two days of rioting, in which youths burned at least six buildings, including that of the Ministry of Agriculture.{{sfn|Friend|2003| pp = 226–230}}{{sfn|Adidarma|Saptono|1997|p=xiv}} The political tensions in Jakarta were accompanied by anti-Chinese riots in [[Situbondo]] (1996), [[Tasikmalaya]] (1996), [[Banjarmasin]] (1997), and [[Makassar]] (1997); while violent ethnic clashes broke out between the [[Dayak people|Dayak]] and [[Madurese people|Madurese]] settlers in [[Central Kalimantan]] in 1997.{{sfn|Elson|2001| p = 267}}