New party has room for many: Amien

New party has room for many: Amien

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem leader Amien Rais wants the People's
Mandate Party (PAB) to be accommodative enough to woo not only
members of the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP) but
also labor leaders.

"I want PAB to become a major vehicle," Amien said here
Saturday after installing the executive board of a youth wing of
Muhammadiyah, the Moslem organization that he chairs which boasts
28 million members.

"It will embrace various groups such as figures from non-
governmental organizations, labor leaders, kyai (leaders of
Islamic boarding schools), as well as members of the Council of
People's Mandate (MARA)," Amien was quoted by Antara as saying.

PAB's founding will be formally declared on Aug. 17.

"I want the party to become inclusive ... we can no longer
afford to be exclusive and think of the interests of our
individual groups."

He called on PPP leaders as well as organizations such as
Nahdlatul Ulama and Syarikat Islam to consider his offer to merge
on equal footing. Reminded that PPP chairman Ismail Hasan
Metareum had already dismissed the suggestion, Amien said:
"That's a normal response of a political party chairman. I
understand."

The PAB is being prepared for formal establishment by members
of the Council for People's Mandate (MARA), which comprises 44
leading figures including senior journalist Goenawan Mohamad,
noted political scientist Mochtar Pabottingi, lawyer Albert
Hasibuan and economist Emil Salim. Its founding date coincides
with national independence day.

More 45 parties have been set up in the current age of reform
following the resignation of Soeharto from the presidency in May.

Amien, a critic of Soeharto who remains critical of President
B.J. Habibie, said in his speech Saturday that Indonesians should
not be pessimistic of their ability to overcome the crisis
because they still had "five assets" to rely on.

"What we need is a team of strong leaders with abilities to
manage the assets, not manipulate or abuse their powers," he
said.

The first asset he mentioned was abundant natural resources.
"Thousands of hectares had been burned down, gold and other
minerals had been plundered during Soeharto's regime, but we
still have much left."

He also cited intelligence, and the manageability of the
Indonesian people by their leaders. The fourth asset was people's
resilience, a result of years spent under "colonialism ... which
makes the same frame of mentality as the Japanese after they lost
the war":

"The fifth capital is Indonesian people's religiosity,
something which we all should turn to during times of crisis," he
said. (swe)