Bintang says he never questioned Pancasila

Bintang says he never questioned Pancasila

JAKARTA (JP): Legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, facing
dismissal from the House of Representatives (DPR), denies all
accusations by his party leaders that he has undermined the state
ideology Pancasila.

Bintang lashed out at United Development Party (PPP) chairman
Ismail Hasan Metareum for publicly declaring yesterday his
purported "political mistakes" which, according to Bintang, was
done to create distorted image of him.

He categorically denied the accusation that he ever challenged
Pancasila, a maneuver in political suicide here.

Bintang did not see any need to dispute the state-ideology
but, he said, does fear people getting into arguments and taking
sides over such issues as the relevance of Pancasila to Islam and
the Holy Koran.

"Both the government and the political parties have the
obligation to explain this concept (of ideology and religion not
conflicting) to the public," he told journalists.

He pointed to the indigenous nature of Pancasila. "It only
applies in Indonesia. It's only meaningful if it's marked with
noble spirit, which is religion, and if it's implemented," he
said. "The same principle applies to the 1945 Constitution."

PPP leaders announced their decision earlier this week to
withdraw Bintang from the House because of his persistence in
questioning the relevance of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

This is a major transgression, they claim, and against the
official party line. Questions of Pancasila and the Constitution
have been resolved, they added, clarifying PPP's position.

"But Bintang has continued to question them in official forums
and at seminars," said Aisyah Amini, a member of both the PPP
executive board and the House.

Bintang's dismissal has to be consulted with House leaders.

Bintang also denied being guilty of making a number of poorly
thought out statements throughout his legislative career, as his
party leaders have accused.

"I always speak constructively, complete with reasoning and
solutions toward any problems," he said. "When I have spoken on
such subjects as presidential aid for poor villages or about land
appropriation, I presented solutions as well."

Bintang reiterated his intention to establish a new political
party, something which he said is plausible, given the current
readiness of the country to review the existing election system.

Meanwhile, a Bandung-based organization threw its support
behind Bintang and criticized his withdrawal from the House.

It also called on the public to boycott PPP.

Ahmad Taufik, chairman of the Institute for Strategic and
Islamic Studies, said in a press statement yesterday that the
party leaders' decision reflected their "political immaturity".

"All of the accusations they leveled against Bintang were not
necessarily mistakes...they should be discussed," Ahmad said. "If
necessary, they could have held debates between Bintang and party
leaders over the issues."

The decision to withdraw Bintang was an "arbitrary measure
taken and made through the use of obscure and undemocratic
political regulations", he said.

The party leaders have resorted to ways more typical of
"authoritarian dictators", he said. "It only serves to strengthen
the image that the condition of domestic politics is not
healthy."

They said the decision not only harmed PPP, but also the
people whose interests were often voiced by Bintang on many
occasions.

"We are grateful for a people's representative like Bintang,
who is courageous enough to speak up and say the truth," Ahmad
said. "We demand that the party leaders reconsider and cancel the
decision." (swe)