Mass organizations urged to stay away from politics

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)