Moslem scholar launches new political party

Moslem scholar launches new political party

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem scholar Deliar Noer, known for his
staunch criticism of the government, launched Partai Ummat Islam
(Islamic Community Party) yesterday, adding to the country's
already long list of new political parties.

"We want to develop Islamic teachings while upholding the
Republic of Indonesia," Deliar told reporters at the Al-Azhar
Grand Mosque in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Among the eight people who signed the party's founding
declaration were former dean of the University of Indonesia's
school of social and political sciences M. Budyatna and
Judilherry Justam, a member of the Association of Islamic
Students Alumni.

The party's establishment is aimed at building a democratic
and prosperous society free from all forms of tyranny, the
declaration said.

The party plans to contest the general election which
President B.J. Habibie plans to hold in the middle of next year.

Deliar said the party's platform would be developed at a
congress to be held in one or two months to discuss election
campaign strategy and elect a chairman.

Asked about how much public support he had mustered, Deliar
said he had been corresponding with friends in Banda Aceh,
Semarang and Surabaya who he expected would join.

Party volunteers distributed application forms to about 100
guests invited to attend the launching. Former Jakarta governor
and opposition figure Ali Sadikin was among the guests present,
though he did not sign up to join the party.

The Islamic Community Party is not the first Moslem-based
party to be established in recent weeks since the government
relaxed its regulation banning the creation of new political
parties.

Prospects for the establishment of several more religious and
ethnic-based parties have renewed fears of a possible return to
sectarian politics, which many believe could undermine national
unity.

Deliar said that while his party was not exclusively for
Moslems, non-Moslems wishing to become members would be
questioned about their reasons for joining.

"We will question their motives first ... (and) how far they
will fight for the cause of the party," Deliar said.

Deliar said the party would be willing to cooperate with other
political parties.

He called on the government to allow people to establish
religious-based political parties. Banning them would be against
the spirit of democracy, he said.

While the Constitution guarantees freedom of association,
current political laws, which are being reviewed, limit the
number of the country's political parties to three and require
that all adhere to Pancasila as their only ideology.

Commenting on the establishment of the party, Dawam Rahardjo
of the Center for Information and Development Studies (CIDES)
said he disapproved of the establishment of an exclusively Moslem
party.

"Political parties should be inclusive if they want to gain
public support," he told The Jakarta Post.

Dawam said the leadership of any political party would also
determine whether or not it would gain public support.

"The leader of a political party should be recognized and
trusted by the people," Dawam said, pointing out that Deliar was
not widely known outside academic circles. (byg)