Multiparty system not realistic for RI, Soeharto says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The demand for a multiparty political system is
\nunrealistic and will unravel all the hard work that has gone into
\nbuilding the present system, President Soeharto said yesterday.<\/p>\n
The system in which three political organizations contest the
\ngeneral election every five years has evolved over 20 years
\nthrough a long and painful consensus-building process, he said.<\/p>\n
\"It would be impossible to add another party,\" Soeharto said
\nduring a meeting with around 200 university graduates recruited
\nas volunteers to monitor the government's backward villages aid
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
\"Those who insist on a multiparty system similar to what they
\nhave abroad, or the one we had a long time ago, are automatically
\nasking that we repeal the five political laws that we enacted by
\nconsensus. This will be a set back.<\/p>\n
\"This is clearly unrealistic if we look at the history of this
\ncountry in the last 20 years and at the way we have upheld the
\nlaw and implemented the Pancasila ideology and the 1945
\nConstitution,\" said the President, speaking without a text.<\/p>\n
Five legislations, first enacted in 1975 and improved in 1985,
\nunderpin the current political system in Indonesia. The laws
\nlimit the number of political organizations allowed to contest
\nthe election to three, and regulate the election campaign and the
\nnumber of seats in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The legislations require that all social and political
\norganizations adhere to Pancasila as their state ideology.<\/p>\n
The President said he was personally involved in simplifying
\nthe number of political parties, from the nine that took part in
\nthe 1971 election, to two: the United Development Party (PPP) and
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
He offered the nine the opportunity to join one of the two
\nparties: PPP, which put more emphasis on spiritual development
\nthan material development, or PDI, which emphasized material
\ndevelopment over spiritual. All the Islamic parties joined the
\nPPP, while nationalists and Christian parties joined the PDI, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"So that was the consensus then, we had two parties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Then, where did Golkar stand on all this? Golkar has always
\nstrove for a balance between material and spiritual development.
\nIt never considered one more important than the other,\" said the
\nPresident, who is also the patron of the ruling political group.<\/p>\n
\"This was accepted, and so we had three political forces,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
ABRI<\/p>\n
\"And where did the Armed Forces (ABRI) stand?<\/p>\n
\"Since it was recognized that ABRI is also a sociopolitical
\nforce, the military has an interest in ensuring the continuity of
\nnational development. ABRI is seen as a stabilizing and driving
\nforce for the nation,\" said the former Army general.<\/p>\n
\"There were questions then whether ABRI should take part in
\ngeneral elections or not. I said then that it was up to the
\npeople. But I warned that ABRI would win the elections outright
\nbecause it was the most well organized force.<\/p>\n
\"So, it was eventually agreed that ABRI's role in politics was
\nrecognized, but that it would not take part in elections.<\/p>\n
\"This is the consensus,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto said the current system has produced a
\nstable mechanism for national leadership elections.<\/p>\n
\"This system has ensured six stable administrations, each one
\ngoverning for five uninterrupted years,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Why would anyone fail to see (the benefit) of this, and want
\nto revert back to the multiparty system or move to a liberal and
\nirresponsible system?<\/p>\n
\"This, in my opinion is a setback. We will return to chaos, to
\na time when there was no guarantee of political stability or
\nnational stability,\" he said, referring to the 1950s when
\nIndonesia, under a multiparty system, had several different
\nparliamentary governments. (emb)<\/p>\n
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