Mass organizations urged to stay away from politics

JAKARTA (JP): Noted political scientist Maswadi Rauf warned yesterday against the use of mass organizations for political purposes in the run-up to the 1997 general election.

Maswadi, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java, said any attempt to bring mass organizations in the contest between the three recognized political parties would be illegal. The 1985 laws on mass organizations and political parties forbid the affiliation of mass organizations to political parties, he said.

"Mass organizations should now be independent and not affiliated with political parties," he said.

Maswadi was commenting on the recent establishment by a number of politicians of the Indonesian National Unity (PNI) organization.

Some people have called it the new organization the "New PNI", the "Old PNI" being the Indonesian National Party (PNI) which was fused with other parties in 1973 to form the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Several days prior to the highly-publicized launch of the PNI on Thursday, more than 60 influential public figures established the National Brotherhood Foundation (YKPK). The founders of both the new PNI and the YKPK denied any political motives and called on the public not to link the organizations with any political organizations, past or present.

Maswadi said yesterday that, while mass organizations should be independent of politics, their members could individually choose to support the ruling Golkar or either of the political parties -- the PDI or the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP).

In reality, however, the three political groupings have numerous organizations that are affiliated with them.

While agreeing with other observers and officials that the emergence of new organizations is a sign of a growing democracy, Maswadi concurred with concerns that electioneering might be behind their establishment.

He criticized leaders of mass organizations who declared allegiance to certain political groupings or dismissed individual members who chose to join a party.

"It is wrong for any leader of a mass organization to say the organizations' political aspirations are channeled, for instance, through Golkar," said Maswadi.

"Perhaps people don't understand or pretend not to understand the 1985 laws, which have modernized our politics," Maswadi told The Jakarta Post.

He said that, prior to 1973, it was commonplace for mass organizations to be supporters of, or to affiliate themselves with, political groupings.

"Maybe some people are still thinking in the old way," he said.

Separately yesterday, Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, assistant to the Armed Forces Chief of Social Political Affairs, said he hoped the "New PNI" was not a "reincarnation" of the old PNI.

Concerns about political motives behind the birth of new organizations started to emerge in July when some intellectuals set up of the Association of Intellectuals for Pancasila Development (PCPP) in the small hinterland town of Purwokerto in Central Java.

The PCPP stole headlines as it's establishment was rapidly followed by the founding of branches across the country and the organization received the blessing of officials.

The public is still waiting to see whether the PCPP will be chaired by a government minister, thus allowing it to par the Association of Islamic Intellectuals, or ICMI, which is led by State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie.

Maswadi said ICMI, with an impressive line-up of leading Islamic intellectuals, has played an important role in stimulating the birth of new mass organizations.

"People can see how useful mass organizations are for lobbying and generating assistance for the public," he said. (anr/imn)