141 parties pass 1st step of requirements for poll

JAKARTA (JP): Out of 148 parties who have registered at the Ministry of Justice, 141 meet requirements, according to the Ministry's registration committee.

The remaining seven had not met requirements before Thursday's deadline for gaining the approved status specified by the new law on political parties.

They were welcome to complete requirements and thus contest the next elections after this year's poll, Bambang Wijono, the committee's spokesman told The Jakarta Post.

The National Brotherhood Party of Indonesia (Partai Persaudaraan National Indonesia Raya) was the last party to complete requirements on Thursday.

Meanwhile a team assigned to verification work for parties which have passed the registration committee continued its task across several areas of the country.

Members grouped in the Team of Eleven among others were checking whether parties really had executives in at least 14 provinces and at least half the number of regencies in these provinces as required by the law.

Team of Eleven member Adnan Buyung Nasution has suggested the team's deadline of March 2 be extended given the many parties to be verified. Results of the team's verification will be reported to the General Election Institute chaired by the Minister of Home Affairs.

From Surabaya, Antara reported Thursday that Buyung, has said although one or two parties were found to be lacking in administrative requirements, they would be "tolerated" because they have expressed a strong willingness to improve themselves.

He cited the Indonesian People's Struggle Party (PPRI) which had lost its chairman, a civil servant, who preferred to stay on in his job and could no longer join the party in line with the new rule governing civil servants.

"The new chairperson is a woman who is now rather confused as her husband has just died," Buyung said.

Buyung also cited the Malang regency branch of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) which was using a government building.

"But the party executives have said they were ready to move," Buyung said. Offices organize campaigns and under the law must not use government facilities.

The team's attitude of tolerance toward a number of parties which had yet to meet requirements, he said, was because the team "did not want to hand down an easy verdict."

Buyung said all parties checked in the East Java regencies of Jember and Malang "were not merely symbols, but were really preparing themselves well."

On Wednesday the committee stated the outlawed People's Democratic Party (PRD), whose chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko is still in jail, met requirements to be registered as a party.

PRD, set up in 1994 was the first party to be set up outside the framework of only three government-sanctioned parties -- Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- under the rule of former president Soeharto.

On Wednesday the agency reported from Semarang that the team's deputy, Adi Andojo Soetjipto, said three of the 10 parties verified in West Java did not meet requirements.

"They have not prepared their offices yet," he said. He was in Semarang to verify several parties in Central Java including those in the city. One party, he said, did not have a name board and another had its office in a motorcycle service shop.

Yet another party was housed in an empty building. Verification of 10 parties in West Java was done Monday and Tuesday.

As of Thursday, six out of 19 parties in Central Sulawesi were said to meet requirements, according to a team member in the capital of Palu, Mulyana W. Kusumah.

Meanwhile the agency also reported from Denpasar that the National Labor Party (PBN), would nominate Megawati Soekarnoputri as its presidential candidate, according to the party head of advisory body, renowned labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan, at the inauguration of the party's branch in Bali. Muchtar said his new party was ready to cooperate with Megawati's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

In Medan, protests continued over possibilities that civil servants would attend a Golkar function, saying this was against their supposed neutrality in the polls.

In Surabaya, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said civil servants were urged to choose between being party members and retaining their jobs until mid-April, so they would no longer receive their allowances as of May. For those who sacrificed high ranking jobs Golkar would compensate them for lost allowances for the months of May and June, Antara reported.

He also said he would seek clarification from Golkar executive and former vice president Try Sutrisno of his reported support for the Justice and Unity Party (PKP). Try, a retired general, also chairs the Association of Retired Military Officers.

The latter party was set up by several senior Golkar members.

This clarification was needed because the party was recruiting cadres to sit in the new legislature after the polls, slated for June 7. Akbar added Golkar estimated it would get 40 percent of all votes after consulting several Golkar branches.

Cadres, especially those in villages and districts, should be "pro-active" and see to people's needs such as "basic foodstuff and fertilizers," he said. (01/anr/21)