141 parties pass 1st step of requirements for poll<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Out of 148 parties who have registered at the
\nMinistry of Justice, 141 meet requirements, according to the
\nMinistry's registration committee.<\/p>\n
The remaining seven had not met requirements before Thursday's
\ndeadline for gaining the approved status specified by the new law
\non political parties.<\/p>\n
They were welcome to complete requirements and thus contest
\nthe next elections after this year's poll, Bambang Wijono, the
\ncommittee's spokesman told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The National Brotherhood Party of Indonesia (Partai
\nPersaudaraan National Indonesia Raya) was the last party to
\ncomplete requirements on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile a team assigned to verification work for parties
\nwhich have passed the registration committee continued its task
\nacross several areas of the country.<\/p>\n
Members grouped in the Team of Eleven among others were
\nchecking whether parties really had executives in at least 14
\nprovinces and at least half the number of regencies in these
\nprovinces as required by the law.<\/p>\n
Team of Eleven member Adnan Buyung Nasution has suggested the
\nteam's deadline of March 2 be extended given the many parties to
\nbe verified. Results of the team's verification will be reported
\nto the General Election Institute chaired by the Minister of Home
\nAffairs.<\/p>\n
From Surabaya, Antara reported Thursday that Buyung, has said
\nalthough one or two parties were found to be lacking in
\nadministrative requirements, they would be \"tolerated\" because
\nthey have expressed a strong willingness to improve themselves.<\/p>\n
He cited the Indonesian People's Struggle Party (PPRI) which
\nhad lost its chairman, a civil servant, who preferred to stay on
\nin his job and could no longer join the party in line with the
\nnew rule governing civil servants.<\/p>\n
\"The new chairperson is a woman who is now rather confused as
\nher husband has just died,\" Buyung said.<\/p>\n
Buyung also cited the Malang regency branch of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) which was using a
\ngovernment building.<\/p>\n
\"But the party executives have said they were ready to move,\"
\nBuyung said. Offices organize campaigns and under the law must
\nnot use government facilities.<\/p>\n
The team's attitude of tolerance toward a number of parties
\nwhich had yet to meet requirements, he said, was because the team
\n\"did not want to hand down an easy verdict.\"<\/p>\n
Buyung said all parties checked in the East Java regencies of
\nJember and Malang \"were not merely symbols, but were really
\npreparing themselves well.\"<\/p>\n
On Wednesday the committee stated the outlawed People's
\nDemocratic Party (PRD), whose chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko is
\nstill in jail, met requirements to be registered as a party.<\/p>\n
PRD, set up in 1994 was the first party to be set up
\noutside the framework of only three government-sanctioned parties
\n-- Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) -- under the rule of former president
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday the agency reported from Semarang that the team's
\ndeputy, Adi Andojo Soetjipto, said three of the 10 parties
\nverified in West Java did not meet requirements.<\/p>\n
\"They have not prepared their offices yet,\" he said. He was in
\nSemarang to verify several parties in Central Java including
\nthose in the city. One party, he said, did not have a name board
\nand another had its office in a motorcycle service shop.<\/p>\n
Yet another party was housed in an empty building.
\nVerification of 10 parties in West Java was done Monday and
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday, six out of 19 parties in Central Sulawesi were
\nsaid to meet requirements, according to a team member in the
\ncapital of Palu, Mulyana W. Kusumah.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the agency also reported from Denpasar that the
\nNational Labor Party (PBN), would nominate Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nas its presidential candidate, according to the party head of
\nadvisory body, renowned labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan, at the
\ninauguration of the party's branch in Bali. Muchtar said his new
\nparty was ready to cooperate with Megawati's party, the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).<\/p>\n
In Medan, protests continued over possibilities that civil
\nservants would attend a Golkar function, saying this was against
\ntheir supposed neutrality in the polls.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said civil
\nservants were urged to choose between being party members and
\nretaining their jobs until mid-April, so they would no longer
\nreceive their allowances as of May. For those who sacrificed high
\nranking jobs Golkar would compensate them for lost allowances for
\nthe months of May and June, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
He also said he would seek clarification from Golkar executive
\nand former vice president Try Sutrisno of his reported support
\nfor the Justice and Unity Party (PKP). Try, a retired general,
\nalso chairs the Association of Retired Military Officers.<\/p>\n
The latter party was set up by several senior Golkar members.<\/p>\n
This clarification was needed because the party was recruiting
\ncadres to sit in the new legislature after the polls, slated for
\nJune 7. Akbar added Golkar estimated it would get 40 percent of
\nall votes after consulting several Golkar branches.<\/p>\n
Cadres, especially those in villages and districts, should be
\n\"pro-active\" and see to people's needs such as \"basic foodstuff
\nand fertilizers,\" he said. (01\/anr\/21)<\/p>",
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