Christian parties never play second fiddle

Christian parties never play second fiddle

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country,
was born with the spirit of democracy in terms of space given to
minor religious groups to voice their existence.

In its 54-year history, the country has seen only two
religious-based, non-Muslim parties contest elections: the
Indonesian Christian Party (Parkindo) and the Catholic Party.

The fact that they gained a small group of seats, both in the
legislative body and administration in this predominantly Muslim
country did not reduce them to playing second fiddle.

Historians acknowledge Parkindo's founding father Johannes
Leimena and his Catholic Party counterpart Ignatius Josef Kasimo
as outstanding figures who laid the foundation for democracy in
Indonesia. Both held ministerial posts during the turbulent phase
of the nation's character building under first president Sukarno.

Parkindo came into being on Nov. 18, 1945, following a
congress held by the Christian community in Surakarta, Central
Java, replacing the National Christian Party (PKN).

Another Christian party, Parki, was established in Sumatra.
But it merged with Parkindo in 1947 to unite Christian
constituents across the country.

While Indonesia was fighting the Dutch for independence,
Parkindo proved its support for the national struggle. A book
published by the Ministry of Information in 1950 stated that
"because the biggest threat to the young Republic of Indonesia
comes from Dutch Christians, it is important for the party
(Parkindo) to tell the Dutch that Indonesian Christians ...
oppose them concerning Indonesia's struggle for independence".

In the 1955 elections -- the first ever to be held in the
country -- Parkindo won eight out of 272 seats in the House of
Representatives. The party was given 16 seats in the highest law
making body (Konstituante), which was dissolved by Sukarno in
1959.

Parkindo contested the 1971 elections, the first since the New
Order regime under Soeharto took over from Sukarno, and won seven
out of 460 House seats. Following the government's decision to
merge all parties into three bodies in 1973, Parkindo joined the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Catholic parties

Like Parkindo and other parties which emerged in the first
months of the republic, seven Catholic parties were founded in
response to the government decree on a multiparty system issued
in November 1945.

At a Catholic community congress in Yogyakarta in December
1949, seven parties -- the Republic of Indonesia's Catholic Party
(PKRI), the Ujungpandang (then Makassar)-based Indonesian
People's Catholic Party, the Flores-based Indonesian People's
Catholic Party, the East Indonesian Catholic Party (Parkit), the
United Flores Political Party, the Catholic People's Consultative
Party (Pemakat) and the Indonesian Kalimantan Catholic Party
(Parkita) -- formed the Catholic Party.

One of its prominent roles in Indonesian history was its full
backing to the government's claim of West Irian, which was
occupied by the Dutch. After fierce fighting both on the
diplomatic and battle fronts, Indonesia gained its sovereignty
over the western part of Irian in 1969.

The party was also a staunch supporter of fair representation
of major religious groups in the House, government maintenance of
security and order and protection of religious practices.

In the socioeconomic field, the party demanded, among other
things, a law which guaranteed a fair minimum wage and maximum
working hours, a law on social security, a law on the
distribution of staple foods and nationalization of foreign
companies.

The Catholic Party declared itself a political organization
which upheld nationalism and recognized the Pancasila state
ideology and the 1945 Constitution.

The party won six House seats in the 1955 elections, but only
three in the 1971 elections. It joined Parkindo in the PDI,
confirming the latter's status as a coalition of nationalist and
Christian factions.