A crop of new parties

A crop of new parties

With the winds of reform only just starting to blow across
this country, Indonesians have been watching with a good deal of
amazement, if not amusement, the emergence of new political
parties which are ready to luster up a general election, the
schedule of which, at least for the present, is not even known.

Following in the footsteps of Musyawarah Kekeluargaan Gotong
Royong (MKGR), a group which was affiliated to the ruling Golkar
party but which broke away to proclaim itself an independent
political party earlier this week; leaders of Murba, another
Golkar affiliate, announced the impending formation of a Murba
Party. Another recent breakaway from the party system currently
recognized by the government is Syarikat Islam (Islamic
Association) Party, an affiliate of the Moslem-based United
Development Party.

Other new parties that have emerged during the past week or so
include the Indonesian Workers Party and the Indonesian Women's
Party. And the Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI), which
was established last year but considered illegal, stepped into
the limelight this week when its leader, Sri Bintang Pamungkas,
was released from jail a few days ago after the government
decided to release political prisoners. More new parties are
certain to emerge in the coming days and weeks. Reports even
mention the impending formation of an Indonesian Drivers Party on
the island of Sumatra.

The question that many Indonesians are asking themselves in
light of this newest development is: What to make of this
amazingly instantaneous emergence of political parties in the
wake of the change in government?

Obviously, the three political parties currently recognized
under laws decreed by the repressive Soeharto regime -- the
ruling Golkar party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- see in this new trend the
fearful specter of disintegration. And although all three have
bravely stated that their survival is not in danger, it is clear
that the birth of so many new parties will drastically change
Indonesia's domestic political map in the coming years.

Many Indonesians of the older generation who experienced the
era of "free-fight" parliamentary democracy in the early 1950s
fear that the presence of so many parties might bring a repeat of
the era of endless political bickering that made economic growth
impossible. Such fears may be groundless. Having learned their
lesson from history, few, if any, Indonesians have a desire to
return to the political chaos of the 1950s. Ways could and should
be found to balance freedom with responsibility. The process of
natural selection will do its part in achieving a healthy balance
in the longer term, possibly even immediately after a general
election.

The sudden birth of so many political parties also raises
another no less intriguing point, relevant in particular to the
ruling Golkar party: If so many of its affiliated groups feel the
need to set up an independent party, who then did Golkar actually
represent during the past decades? It is no secret that in the
eyes of many Indonesians, Golkar was the embodiment of the
arrogance and the repressive manner of the departed regime. And
if, or when, Golkar falls apart before a general election is
held, which group of society are its remaining leaders, such as
Harmoko and Abdul Gafur, supposed to represent?

These, surely, are interesting questions and the answers may
not be far away. As for the present, though, a general election
is still no more than a promise. When, or even if, it is held
remains to be seen. For that matter, indeed, given the
controversies that persist regarding the legality of his
position, it remains to be seen whether Habibie will survive in
office long enough to make his promise come true.