Abandoned by Golkar, youth affiliate seeks new image

Rais Hidayat, Research and Development Unit, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several youth organizations were closely tied with the ruling Golkar party under New Order regime. They were its right arm, ready to guard any of its events and to mobilize support. They gained considerable influence, even if some of it was out of fear or resentment. Its activists gained economic access as well as political benefits like guaranteed seats in the legislature. Among such organizations was the Pancasila Youth (Pemuda Pancasila) with its well known leader Yapto Soelistio Soerjosoemarno, its chairman from 1996 to 2001.

Set up on Oct. 28 1959 the organization was initially affiliated to the Independence Vanguard Party (IPKI) contesting the 1955 and 1971 elections with poor results. The party, founded by leading generals AH Nasution, Subroto, and Aziz Saleh in 1954, secured only four seats in 1955 and didn't even gain one seat in 1971.

In 1973 IPKI was merged into the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) with other nationalist and Christian parties, but the previous supporters increasingly identified themselves with Golkar, including those from Pancasila Youth. The organization started to totally support Golkar since the 1982 election.

However starting in the late 1990s it felt rather disturbed with the strong accommodation of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) within the secular, nationalist party.

But at least until May 1998 in which Soeharto quit the presidency, the organization still joined other youth organizations closely tied to Golkar to defend the president, who also led Golkar's board. They were in direct confrontation with masses of students who wanted to bring Soeharto down.

Eventually though, the Pancasila Youth seemed to begin to feel unhappy with Golkar -- who, as the "New Golkar Party", needed to widen its support base at the cost of old loyalists. "Golkar Baru" no longer needed association with its former loyalists, who were associated closely with the New Order's style of stepping over others.

The Pancasila Youth must have felt it was sacrificed -- it had contributed millions of voters, it claims, to Golkar who won all four general elections. In 1999 the organization declared it was independent from Golkar, however hard it would be to wash off the association in the public eye.

This was followed by the declaration of the Pancasila Patriots Party on June 1, 2001, at the Proclamation Monument, Jakarta. Founder Yapto was then elected a year later as the president of the new party.

The declaration also meant it was independent from its previous parent party IPKI, a revival of the 1971 party, which in 1999 secured only one seat in the legislature.

The party's Secretary General, Sophar Maru Hutagalung, said that now only a few Golkar's legislative candidates are from the organization, while ahead of elections the organization usually contributes some 500 cadres.

Hutagalung says the reason to set up the party is not mere dissapointment with Golkar. The founders see that "globalism, separatism, federalism, and fundamentalism threaten the very existence of the country," and that the state ideology Pancasila is the only glue to the nation.

The party is optimistic to gain three percent of the House seats with the confidence that most of its claimed six million members will vote for it.

Some of its executives, however, such as Yorris Raweyai are still with Golkar.

What about outside supporters? That would depend on how fast, in the short time possible, the party can free the youth organizations' image as one of thugs.

The image is still there, says Sophar, although the party now accommodates businessmen and intellectuals, and is more focused on building cooperatives in the regions.

Yapto is also a former deputy chairman of the Young Generation for Indonesian Renewal (AMPI) for 1984-1989 period and deputy chairman for the Communication Forum of Indonesian Veterans' Children (FKPPI) for the 1991-1995 period. Both were affiliated to Golkar.

But whether and to what extent these two organizations will provide support to Golkar is not clear. There are other parties led by former Golkar and military men that will compete for the support, those including the Justice and Unity Party led by Gen.(ret) Edy Sudrajat and the Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB) led by Gen.(ret) Hartono.

Some regions are considered its potentials, namely Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sumatra, Lampung, South Sumatra, Central Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, dan East Nusa Tenggara.