Debate rages on Pancasila as sole political party principle

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators discussing a draft bill on political parties were unable to resolve differences on Tuesday over the inflammatory issue of stipulating the Pancasila state ideology as the sole doctrine of political institutions.

In a strident verbal tussle, the United Development Party (PPP) was the only one of the four factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) expressing outright opposition to the requirement, similar to that contained the 1985 law on parties.

The dominant Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction said they agreed that Pancasila should be mentioned as a principle of political parties.

However, they opposed the original version of the government- sponsored bill which designated Pancasila the "sole" doctrine of a party. Golkar suggested the stipulation should simply state: "Political parties adhere to Pancasila as a principle."

Legislators are part of a special committee working until Jan. 28 on three political bills.

Presiding chairman of the 87-strong committee Abu Hasan Sazili of Golkar was about to bang his gavel to signify that consensus had been reached when PPP insisted that the argument be addressed further in ensuing sessions.

Pancasila as the sole principle of parties and organizations has been called into question since Soeharto resigned in May.

Many considered the Pancasila requirement a ploy for the New Order government to rein in political institutions.

PPP announced on Sunday it would return to its former identity as an Islamic party.

On Tuesday, PPP cited a stipulation in the new Decree No. 10 from the recent Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). The decree on developmental reform states that one political agenda is "to respect the diversity of principles or characteristics, aspirations and programs of social political organizations... which do not oppose Pancasila".

PPP said this stipulation should be sufficient.

"There's no need to uniformly define the principle of all political parties," a PPP representative argued.

"Only in communist countries are political parties required to adhere to a single principle." Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid reiterated later that the government was "open" to discussion of the issue.

Tuesday's deliberation agreed, however, that all citizens would be allowed to set up their own parties.

Also agreed upon was a stipulation that parties must not bear a similar name and symbol, an issue promoted by PDI.

Legislators joked that PDI was fighting for its own interests. The PDI faction outside the DPR, which remains unrecognized by the government, is under the leadership of popular Megawati Soekarnoputri. At a recent congress, Megawati's PDI decided to retain its name. (aan)