Thousands PAN launching in Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): About 25,000 people attended a ceremony to
\nlaunch the National Mandate Party's (PAN) Yogyakarta branch at
\nKridosono Stadium here on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Others who could not fit into the stadium held rallies in
\nparts of the city, in many cases causing heavy traffic
\ncongestion.<\/p>\n
On the same day, PAN opened its Central Java provincial branch
\nand Surakarta regency branch in Surakarta, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people arrived at the stadium in Yogyakarta early
\nin the morning to get a seat to hear PAN chairman Amien Rais and
\nthe party's deputy chairman, A.M. Fatwa, speak.<\/p>\n
A number of local Chinese-Indonesian businesspeople were
\nannounced as members of the branch's board of executives. Non-
\ngovernmental organization activists and retired members of the
\nArmed Forces were also included on the board.<\/p>\n
During his inauguration speech, Amien pledged: \"From now on,
\nPAN's shining light will be eradicating corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism from Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
When Amien launched the party last month, he said it would be
\nopen to all regardless of race, religion and creed. Of the more
\nthan 80 new parties launched throughout the country since May,
\nPAN is one of few believed to become strong contenders in the
\nnext election slated for May.<\/p>\n
Since then, Amien has set up provincial branches, including in
\nUjungpandang in South Sulawesi, Bandung in West Java and
\nPalembang in South Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Another new party, the Justice Party, launched its Yogyakarta
\nbranch on Friday at the same stadium, attended by some 5,000
\npeople. Its chairman, Nur Mahmudi Ismail, said the party rejected
\nthe sole principle of Pancasila imposed on all parties during the
\nrule of former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
\"We support Pancasila as the umbrella of the country's
\nnational life but we uphold Islam as the basis of our
\norganization,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the draft law on general elections recently
\nsubmitted to the House of Representatives, Nur Mahmudi said the
\nrequirements for parties to contest the elections reflected the
\ninsensitivity of the bill's drafters to the ongoing crisis.<\/p>\n
He said the bill's requirement that a party must obtain 1
\nmillion signatures in the case that it could not establish 14
\nbranches was excessive.<\/p>\n
\"Two hundred million rupiah would be needed just to photocopy
\nthe identity cards (accompanying the supporters' signatures).
\nThis doesn't make sense.\"<\/p>\n
The party's board of executives and advisors includes several
\nlocal intellectuals, including Khalid Mahmud, a former activist
\nand now a dean at the private Cokroamintoto University here,
\nGadjah Mada University historian Ahmad Adaby Darban and other
\nlocal professors. (23\/44\/har\/byg)<\/p>",
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