Bintang says he never questioned Pancasila<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, facing
\ndismissal from the House of Representatives (DPR), denies all
\naccusations by his party leaders that he has undermined the state
\nideology Pancasila.<\/p>\n
Bintang lashed out at United Development Party (PPP) chairman
\nIsmail Hasan Metareum for publicly declaring yesterday his
\npurported \"political mistakes\" which, according to Bintang, was
\ndone to create distorted image of him.<\/p>\n
He categorically denied the accusation that he ever challenged
\nPancasila, a maneuver in political suicide here.<\/p>\n
Bintang did not see any need to dispute the state-ideology
\nbut, he said, does fear people getting into arguments and taking
\nsides over such issues as the relevance of Pancasila to Islam and
\nthe Holy Koran.<\/p>\n
\"Both the government and the political parties have the
\nobligation to explain this concept (of ideology and religion not
\nconflicting) to the public,\" he told journalists.<\/p>\n
He pointed to the indigenous nature of Pancasila. \"It only
\napplies in Indonesia. It's only meaningful if it's marked with
\nnoble spirit, which is religion, and if it's implemented,\" he
\nsaid. \"The same principle applies to the 1945 Constitution.\"<\/p>\n
PPP leaders announced their decision earlier this week to
\nwithdraw Bintang from the House because of his persistence in
\nquestioning the relevance of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
This is a major transgression, they claim, and against the
\nofficial party line. Questions of Pancasila and the Constitution
\nhave been resolved, they added, clarifying PPP's position.<\/p>\n
\"But Bintang has continued to question them in official forums
\nand at seminars,\" said Aisyah Amini, a member of both the PPP
\nexecutive board and the House.<\/p>\n
Bintang's dismissal has to be consulted with House leaders.<\/p>\n
Bintang also denied being guilty of making a number of poorly
\nthought out statements throughout his legislative career, as his
\nparty leaders have accused.<\/p>\n
\"I always speak constructively, complete with reasoning and
\nsolutions toward any problems,\" he said. \"When I have spoken on
\nsuch subjects as presidential aid for poor villages or about land
\nappropriation, I presented solutions as well.\"<\/p>\n
Bintang reiterated his intention to establish a new political
\nparty, something which he said is plausible, given the current
\nreadiness of the country to review the existing election system.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a Bandung-based organization threw its support
\nbehind Bintang and criticized his withdrawal from the House.<\/p>\n
It also called on the public to boycott PPP.<\/p>\n
Ahmad Taufik, chairman of the Institute for Strategic and
\nIslamic Studies, said in a press statement yesterday that the
\nparty leaders' decision reflected their \"political immaturity\".<\/p>\n
\"All of the accusations they leveled against Bintang were not
\nnecessarily mistakes...they should be discussed,\" Ahmad said. \"If
\nnecessary, they could have held debates between Bintang and party
\nleaders over the issues.\"<\/p>\n
The decision to withdraw Bintang was an \"arbitrary measure
\ntaken and made through the use of obscure and undemocratic
\npolitical regulations\", he said.<\/p>\n
The party leaders have resorted to ways more typical of
\n\"authoritarian dictators\", he said. \"It only serves to strengthen
\nthe image that the condition of domestic politics is not
\nhealthy.\"<\/p>\n
They said the decision not only harmed PPP, but also the
\npeople whose interests were often voiced by Bintang on many
\noccasions.<\/p>\n
\"We are grateful for a people's representative like Bintang,
\nwho is courageous enough to speak up and say the truth,\" Ahmad
\nsaid. \"We demand that the party leaders reconsider and cancel the
\ndecision.\" (swe)<\/p>",
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