'Natural selection' will sort out new parties: Syarwan
'Natural selection' will sort out new parties: Syarwan
BANDUNG (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, facing
the prospect of new political parties cropping up on a daily
basis, has said there should no restriction on the number of
parties in existence.
Syarwan instead believes the process of "natural selection"
will eventually sort out the political organizations which
endure.
"The small parties which aren't appealing will eventually fade
by themselves," he said after addressing a course on home
government here in the West Java provincial capital yesterday.
He maintained that the fundamental requirement was that the
parties should acknowledge the state ideology Pancasila and the
1945 Constitution as their political basis, and that they do not
exploit issues involving SARA, an Indonesian acronym for tribal
affiliation, religion, race and societal groups.
Since the early 1970s, the government has only recognized the
existence of Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Democratic Party as electoral contestants.
The recent fall of Soeharto and current surge in the reform
campaign have given fresh impetus for greater freedom in
expressing political aspirations, particularly regarding
political parties.
This week alone, the establishment of six political parties
was declared.
Women
Yesterday, there were more declarations from various
organizations establishing their own independent parties.
Syarikat Islam announced it would again go its own way in the
political arena when its chairman Taufiq R. Tjokroaminoto said it
was readopting its old name of Indonesian Syarikat Islam Party
(PSII) and forming its own political party.
The move effectively means that Syarikat Islam is breaking
ranks from PPP, which it helped establish in 1973.
A statement, signed by Taufiq and Syarikat Islam council
chairman Mulyana Muslim, said the new party would be ready to
contest the general elections and that a committee had been
formed to consolidate the PSII membership.
Syarikat Islam was originally founded as a social-religious
organization in 1912. In 1927, it formally branched out into
political affairs and changed its name to the Syarikat Islam
Party.
Two years later, it changed its name again, to the Indonesian
Syarikat Islam Party, to stress its allegiance to the nationalist
cause
In 1973 it merged with other Islamic-affiliated parties to
form PPP.
"Once the new electoral laws are passed we will hold our first
congress," Taufiq told journalists.
He boasted Syarikat Islam had a membership of 25 million.
Feminists also quickly pounced on the opportunity to make
their political aspirations felt when philosophy professor Toeti
Herati Noerhadi and novelist La Rose founded the Indonesian
Women's Party.
A statement issued to mark the formation of the new party
defined its aim as "to empower women in the political field,
because in this field women have not been accorded their rightful
place".
While it is apparent the party still lacks a defined
nationwide network, it quickly circulated a flier asking both men
and women whether they were interested in becoming members or
even executive members. (mds)