Justice Party launches Jakarta chapter in huge rally

JAKARTA (JP): About 15,000 Moslem youths packed the Senayan Sports Hall on Sunday for the launching of the Jakarta chapter of the Justice Party, declaring readiness to contest the planned general election in May next year.

The event also marked the simultaneous launching of four other provincial chapters in Bengkulu, South, East and West Kalimantan, bringing the number of party chapters to 14. This is the minimum amount required for a party to qualify for the polls, according to the draft law on general elections still pending deliberation by the House of Representatives.

Chapter chairman Ahmad Heriawan, who was installed by party president Nurmahmudi Ismail, said it aimed to be among the top five vote-gaining parties in Jakarta in the election.

"We're confident ... because we enjoy the support of students, professionals and young intellectuals," he said. "Workers, traders, teachers, civil servants and preachers are our constituents."

Nurmahmudi, a civil servant and senior researcher at the state Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), downplayed the concern of military officials that mobilization of students and youths would lead to unrest, saying the party would not be stirred by disruptive political maneuvers of others.

"We will not be provoked by campaigns to topple (President B.J.) Habibie's government, which is already a transitional government (anyway)," he said.

The Justice Party also champions the abolition of a decree that forces all social and political organizations to embrace Pancasila as their sole ideology.

"We reject the imposition of Pancasila as the sole ideology for all organizations... because (it backfires and) creates apathy and diminishes patriotism," he said.

"This does not mean we seek to undermine the state. We believe in Pancasila and the Constitution as the basis for national unity.

"Our struggle against the imposition of Pancasila as the state ideology is in fact a call on other groups -- be they Christians, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist -- to participate and develop Indonesia from their own parties."

Separately, the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity In Diversity) party inaugurated its Jakarta's chapter on Sunday in a ceremony at the Gedung Joang building in Central Jakarta.

The party's chairman Nurdin Purnomo, who led the launching, installed Daniel Abbas Purwasabda as chairman for the Jakarta chapter.

In his speech, Nurdin vowed to lead his party to win the 1999 general election even though it would not be an easy task, Antara reported. (swe/bsr)