Roy B. B. Janis

Janis joined the Indonesian Democratic Party after he graduated from the University of Indonesia in 1986. He received his first office appointment when he became a member of the People's Consultative Assembly from the Indonesian Democratic Party on 1 October 1992. Janis was also appointed as the Treasurer of the Jakarta Indonesian Democratic Party from 1994 until 1996.[1]

In 1993, when the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly was about to be held, Janis joined the Group of 19, a group that attempted to block the re-nomination of President Suharto for his sixth term.[5] However, the group failed, as Suharto was later elected by the assembly for his sixth term as the president of Indonesia.[6]

On the 4th congress of the Indonesian Democratic Party, the daughter of President Sukarno, Megawati Sukarnoputri, was elected as the party's chairwoman. Janis, who was a staunch supporter of Megawati, was appointed as the chairman of the party's branch in Jakarta.[7] However, three years later, the government of Indonesia held a congress in Medan from 20–24 June to depose Megawati. Suryadi, the previous Indonesian Democratic Party chairman, was elected as the government-backed chairman of the party. Megawati refused to acknowledge the congress's legitimacy, causing dualism inside the party structure.[8] Janis remained loyal to Megawati during this dualism period.[7]

The dualism culminated in the 27 July 1996 incident, in which the Megawati faction refused to leave the party's headquarters.[8] Megawati entrusted the security of the headquarters to Janis two days before the incident. Megawati then told Janis that the Suryadi faction would raid the headquarters. Janis, who refused to believe any raid of sorts, left the headquarters at 5 AM on 27 July 1996.[9] The Suryadi faction raided the headquarters at 6.30 AM,[10] inflicting casualties among the Megawati faction.[8] In a 2008 interview, Janis blamed the casualties on Megawati, who he believed could evacuate supporters of the Megawati faction to a safe place outside the headquarters.[9]

On 15 February 1999, the Megawati faction officially formed the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. Janis retained his old office as the chairman of the party's branch in Jakarta.[1] He was also nominated by the party as the member of the People's Representative Council for the 1999 Indonesian legislative election. He led the party to victory in Jakarta, where the party obtained a majority of seats in the Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council,[11] and he himself was elected into the People's Representative Council.[12]

Due to sharp differences in Bali Congress of PDIP in April 2005, which was the beginning of the Renewal Movement of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, he resigned from his membership in the People's Representative Council in October 2005.[13] On 1 December 2005, together with his colleagues from the Renewal Movement, he formed the Renewal Democratic Party. He was elected as the Chairman of the National Collegial Board.[14]