Moslem group joins glut of new parties

JAKARTA (JP): Another new political party, the Crescent Star Party, or Partai Bulan Bintang, joined the country's plethora of new political parties when it was launched here yesterday.

Chaired by University of Indonesia constitutional law expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the party -- which took its name from the symbol of Islam -- proclaimed itself ready to fight for seats in the general election scheduled for May next year.

"We will fight for a good system, not an individual to be president, because we believe that without a good system -- with the country depending too much on the charisma of one person -- we will end up with another dictator ruling the country," Yusril said.

He said the party was based on the state Pancasila ideology and the 1945 Constitution and would fight for the interests of all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs.

"The party will be open to all citizens regardless of their religion, as long as they agree with the party's principles," Yusril said.

He claimed the genesis of the party could be traced back to 1989 with the ground work laid out by the Indonesian Moslem Coordination Board (BKUI) chaired by senior Moslem politician Anwar Harjono.

Anwar Harjono, a former member of the now-defunct Masjumi party -- the runner-up in the 1955 general election to Sukarno's Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) -- is a patron of the new party.

Hartono Mardjono, Cholil Ridwan, Anwar Sanusi, Ahmad Sumargono, Abdul Qodir Djaelani and Fadli Zon sit on the new party's executive board.

Anwar Harjono, who gave a speech at the launch held in Al Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta yesterday, said the party had been established by individuals, not by groups.

Anwar was referring to the 21 signatories to the party's declaration, who include Ahmad Sumargono and Abdul Qodir Djaelani from the Indonesian Committee for World Moslem Solidarity (KISDI) and Eggy Sudjana from the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI).

More than 40 political parties have been set up since Soeharto's resignation from the presidency on May 21. (aan)