Analysts say new party won't improve situation
Analysts say new party won't improve situation
JAKARTA (JP): Political observers lined up behind President
Soeharto yesterday in support of his argument that Indonesia does
not need a new political party.
They agreed that Golkar, as the ruling functional group,
should champion the drive to improve the existing political
structure.
Establishing a new party aimed to accommodate the wishes of
those unhappy with the existing parties would only worsen the
situation, said Maswadi Rauf, a political scientist from the
University of Indonesia.
"More political parties would mean more conflicts," he told
The Jakarta Post.
He argued that there was no guarantees more political parties
would improve, or make more effective, the performance of
political institutions like the House of Representatives (DPR)."
The laws limit the number of political organizations to three
that can participate in the general election: the government-
backed Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
On Thursday, Soeharto ruled out the possibility of forming a
new political party, as demanded by some senior Moslem leaders
who considered the existing ones unable to accommodate their
interests.
"We don't want a new political party or a new functional
group," he told Golkar leaders celebrating the organization's
30th anniversary.
He also advised the country to learn from the past, when
conflicts were the order of the day, because it employed a multi-
party system.
The campaign for a new party was launched by a number of
Moslem leaders who lost their bid to snatch the chairmanship of
the United Development Party (PPP) in September.
Maturity
Maswadi dismissed the suggestion that those who wished to
establish a new party were only exercising their right to
assemble.
"This is not a solution," he said. "We don't need to
restructure our system. We need to improve its procedures, its
functions.
Two other observers, former home affairs minister Rudini and
political scientist Amir Santoso, also put their support behind
Soeharto.
"It's a tall order (asking for new party) for the present
political condition, because there is no way Golkar, as the
dominant political grouping, would agree to it," Rudini told the
news agency Antara.
He said it was unlikely that the DPR would amend the 1985 law
on political parties, which limits the number of political
organizations to three.
"Golkar faction members in the DPR have decided they don't
want a new party," Rudini said.
Amir, also from the University of Indonesia, said, what the
country needed was to strengthen the existing political
organizations and to have "mature political actors."
"Many of our politicians are sore losers, demanding a new
party after losing a political battle," Amir said.
Allowing for the establishment of a new party may become a bad
precedent, he said. "There would be more and more people asking
for new parties every time they are defeated."
Both Maswadi and Amir agreed, after rejecting the request for
a new party, Golkar should bear greater responsibility to shake
things up.
"It shouldn't only be after winning elections," Maswadi said.
"Golkar should help the DPR, for instance, become a real check
and balance power in the system." (swe)
Editorial -- Page 4