Party fights to erase hoodlum image<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An air of officialdom subdued me as I arrived at the office of
\nPancasila Patriots' Party in southern Jakarta as a man in a
\nmilitary-style uniform awkwardly greeted me and asked me to wait
\nin the lobby.<\/p>\n
"There's a reporter who would like to interview you, Pak," the
\nman said on the intercom. He came back to find out my name before
\nsaying with smile: "He asks you to wait for a while."<\/p>\n
The room was part of a building that used to be the office of
\nyouth leader Japto Soelistio Soerjosoemarno -- now the party
\nleader. A pile of political pamphlets sat in the corner of the
\nroom. Several people, some with long hair, sat idly.<\/p>\n
Several minutes later a man's voice was audible on the
\nintercom asking the guard to let me in.<\/p>\n
I walked upstairs, as the lift was off, to the third floor.
\nThe guard led me into a packed meeting room.<\/p>\n
The party's head of communication and information, Geaffary SI
\nTasrif, known as N'dol, introduced me to other party leaders.<\/p>\n
They looked occupied, preparing for the party's first round of
\noutdoor campaigning on March 31.<\/p>\n
Some of them could be heard mentioning millions of rupiah,
\nwhile others discussed materials and logistics, party T-shirts,
\nvests and the transportation of supporters to campaign sites.<\/p>\n
"Have you ordered the minibus?<\/p>\n
"How much does it cost?"<\/p>\n
A woman chimed in: "Hey, how much money do you have now? Can
\nyou give him Rp 7 million?"<\/p>\n
A fundraiser said: "Oh, good then... so we will receive a
\ntransfer of fresh cash of Rp 50 million this evening... good..."<\/p>\n
N'dol explained: "This is how our party deals with such
\nmatters. Money has never been a problem for us because we are all
\nready to pay our bills from our own pockets." However, he refused
\nto disclose the amount of funds used in the campaign.<\/p>\n
The party was founded on June 1, 2001 with a declaration that
\nit cut its relationship with the Golkar Party despite its close
\nlinks with former president Soeharto's 32-year New Order regime.<\/p>\n
Japto is also known as the leader of Pemuda Pancasila
\n(Pancasila Youth), members of which who were once considered
\nGolkar's hitmen.<\/p>\n
Almost all of Pancasila Patriots' Party members are Pemuda
\nPancasila supporters and the party's secretary general Sophar
\nMaru Hutagalung admitted the public might still perceive it as a
\ngroup of hoodlums.<\/p>\n
"I know what people think about our party because of our past
\nimage. Many also see in our leader what they want to see ... Time
\nwill prove these perceptions false," Sophar said on the phone
\nover the weekend.<\/p>\n
"Such a negative image is difficult to erase even though the
\norganization was established with many goals, including providing
\njob opportunities for youths," Sophar said, citing one of Pemuda
\nPancasila's companies, which operates the Perisai Bangsa cabs.<\/p>\n
During the Soeharto years, Pemuda Pancasila members were ever
\nready to mobilize support for Golkar and guard any of its public
\nevents. It was also believed to have established a close
\nrelationship with the military.<\/p>\n
Agus Syaifullah, a member of Pemuda Pancasila who joined the
\ngroup in 1984, said he underwent paramilitary training led by
\nMarine and Army officers at a military camp in Rindam, East
\nJakarta. "But since then, I've learned to be a good man," said
\nAgus, a father of one.<\/p>\n
He dismissed accusations Pemuda Pancasila was behind violent
\nincidents against other party's constituents or business
\ncompetitors in the past, saying "(these acts) might be done by
\ncertain members of our group, but they certainly had no clear
\ninstructions from our boss."<\/p>",
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