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.