Democracy new to us: Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that Indonesia
\nhas much to learn about applying modern democracy to cope with
\nits problems.<\/p>\n
\"We are aware that the democratic tradition is something which
\nis relatively new to us,\" Soeharto said at the opening of the
\nthird congress of the Moslem-oriented United Development Party
\n(PPP).<\/p>\n
About 1,000 party members, senior government officials and
\nleaders of other political organizations attended the grand
\nceremony at the posh Jakarta Hilton Convention center, built for
\nthe 1993 Non-Aligned Movement Summit.<\/p>\n
The four-day gathering continued at the Pondok Gede Haj
\nDormitory in East Jakarta. In the coming days, participants will
\nreview the party's statutes, adopt new programs and elect the new
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
The congress opened amid a storm of protests from the news
\nmedia as the party's headquarters rejected dozens of journalists
\nassigned to cover the congress which takes place once every five
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said Indonesia had to learn how to operate modern,
\ndemocratic institutions and apply the new tradition to the local
\nculture.<\/p>\n
He said that democracy at the national level is much more
\ncomplicated than in traditional villages where people can
\nparticipate directly in the decision making process.<\/p>\n
Modern democracy, he said, involves more people with different
\naspirations, interests, customs, religions and culture.<\/p>\n
\"They all need equal attention and problems have to be solved
\nin a wise and just manner,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto warned that a multi-ethnic and multi-religious
\nIndonesia would face irreparable disintegration if the different
\ngroups cared only for their own interests.<\/p>\n
The President said he hoped that PPP and the other political
\norganizations, PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party) and Golkar,
\ncould also function as people's educational institutions in
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
As a channel for the people's aspirations, PPP should
\nformulate and implement clear programs, goals and political
\nethics, he said.<\/p>\n
The promotion of democracy was also the focus of PPP chairman
\nIsmail Hasan Metareum's opening speech, which extolled the
\nvirtues of the government's successes in development.<\/p>\n
\"PPP will try to make sure that democracy will not turn into
\nanarchy,\" said Ismail Hasan, who is widely believed to have the
\ngovernment's and military's support to retain his post for
\nanother five years.<\/p>\n
\"Anarchy will bring instability and destruction, not
\ndevelopment as everyone expects,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Ismail Hasan, who was widely criticized by his supporters for
\nopenly condoning the government's closure of three news weeklies
\nin June, said that only responsible openness would give rise to
\nthe growth of democracy. \"Responsible openness will enable people
\nto have quality initiatives and try to mutually understand
\ndifferent views.\"<\/p>\n
Protest<\/p>\n
The presence of numerous government and Armed Forces (ABRI)
\nofficials at the start of the congress raised the question of how
\nfar they would interfere on the selection of the new party
\nchairman.<\/p>\n
The government -- which has provided the bulk of the money to
\nfinance the Rp 1 billion ($476,000) gathering -- has pledged to
\nstay out of the party's internal affairs.<\/p>\n
In his address, Soeharto made no statements which would
\nsuggest that the government planned to intervene in the party's
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Chief of ABRI's socio-political affairs, Lt. Gen. R. Hartono,
\nreiterated the military's neutral stance. \"ABRI will endorse
\nanyone that the congress elects,\" he told reporters when asked
\nwhom ABRI would like to see lead PPP.<\/p>\n
Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairperson of the minority PDI party,
\nsaid she hoped there would be no government interference in the
\nPPP's congress. Megawati's own election last year was not fully
\nendorsed by the government.(pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/democracy-new-to-us-soeharto-1447893297",
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