Regional United Party pledges voice for the regions<\/p>\n
Anton Doni, Head, Research and Development Unit, The Jakarta
\nPost, Jakarta<\/p>\n
One desired change in the days after the fall of Soeharto was
\nto end the \"free seats\" for nonelected representatives and the
\ndissolution of the two factions in the legislative bodies whose
\nmembers are appointed. Apart from the military and police faction
\nthe other is that of the regional delegates.<\/p>\n
Under the New Order's tight centralization policy it was
\nevident that there was nothing that the faction of regional
\nrepresentatives could do to make Jakarta listen and genuinely
\nrespond to simmering unrest in the regions. The faction, like
\nthat of the military and police, gained a bad name for its
\nseeming function of adding to the list of guaranteed Soeharto
\nloyalists in the highest bodies.<\/p>\n
When efforts were made to do away with the Regional Delegates
\nFaction (FUD) members strived hard to keep their seats. The new
\narrangement of spreading the members among party-based factions,
\nthey said, would be less effective in channeling regional
\ninterests. Political and legal reform had led to the concept of
\nthe Regional Representatives Council (DPD), but this was also
\ngreeted with little enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\"There is no assurance that regional delegates will sit in the
\nDPD, and there is neither any assurance that the DPD will forward
\nthe aspirations of regional delegates,\" Oesman Sapta Odang,
\ndeputy speaker from the FUD at the People's Consultative Assembly
\nsaid, as quoted in Kompas daily in late 2002. Therefore a better
\nway to ensure such aspirations are heard was through a political
\nparty that could then better influence the legislature, he said.<\/p>\n
DPD members will only comprise 30 percent of the MPR, he said.<\/p>\n
With some colleagues from FUD the popular Oesman set up the
\nRegional United Party (PPD). He was elected in 1999 by the
\nprovincial legislature in West Kalimantan to be a member of the
\nFUD in the Assembly before becoming a deputy speaker.<\/p>\n
The former chairman of the provincial Indonesian Chamber of
\nCommerce and Industry (Kadin) was earlier already well known
\nparticularly in West Kalimantan, as noted in a new book on the
\ndemocracy movement (Gerakan Demokrasi di Indonesia pasca-
\nSoeharto, the Democracy Movement in Post-Soeharto Indonesia,
\nDemos, 2003). The researchers' sources reveal that Oesman was an
\norphaned, self-educated man who succeeded in business. He is also
\nknown to have close ties with the army and former intelligence
\nchief Lt. Gen. (ret) ZA Maulani, who is from Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
The owner of Mahkota Hotel in West Kalimantan's capital,
\nPontianak, Oesman stood up for locals' interests in the case of
\nthe state-run estate PT Perkebunan Nusantara XIII in West
\nKalimantan, saying that it was outsiders who got the most jobs
\nthere. He also supported students who demanded that governor
\nAspar Aswin resign. Oesman published his own biweekly tabloid,
\nSuaka, which was viewed as a forum to attack Aswin.<\/p>\n
Now Oesman and his party are committed, in their booklet's
\nwords, to the goal that \"people living on the top of the
\nmountains, at sea and in remote villages must feel secure\",
\nprotected from violence and human rights violations. Thus legal
\ncertainty and assurance of security is a must for this party.<\/p>\n
The party's strengths lie in the practical experience of its
\nleaders, its executives say, which may complement the theoretical
\nknowledge on regional autonomy that can be boasted by leaders of
\nanother party claiming to fight for regional interests, the Unity
\nDemocratic Nationhood (PDK) party.<\/p>\n
Launched on Dec. 18 2002, the party listed 202 legislative
\ncandidates or around 30 percent of the allowed number of national
\nlegislative candidates.<\/p>\n
A number of former military and police figures are on the
\nlist. The party's deputy chairman for organizational affairs
\nSoehardi Oetomo is a retired army officer previously with the
\nArmy Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and the intelligence
\nagency; he's now the party's top legislative candidate from West
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Another former army man is Obrien Sitepu, now a top candidate
\nfrom Papua province. Secretary-general Ronggo Soenarso is a
\nformer Air Force official, now running for East Java province.<\/p>\n
Though realizing that time to prepare for the harsh
\nbattleground is very short for the new party, Soehardi claims
\nthat support is \"quite equally distributed in all provinces\".<\/p>\n
No national mass organization is known to support this party.
\nWithin the sports world Oesman is chairman of the national karate
\nbody, the Kushin Ryu M Karate-do Indonesia (KKI), for the period
\nof 2002-2006.<\/p>\n
The party declares itself as a nationalist party open to
\npeople from any background regardless of ethnicity, religion or
\nclass.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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