PAN puts together platform to please everyone

The National Mandate Party (PAN) was once termed a "rainbow" organization, campaigning for the June 7 elections on a platform so wide-ranging as to be able to embrace just about everybody. The party's leaders talked to The Jakarta Post recently about their vision, political and economic concepts -- and their preparation for the polls.

JAKARTA (JP): A helicopter carrying PAN chairman Amien Rais once experienced engine trouble and was forced to land in the middle of a paddy field on Madura Island. Villagers, rushing out of their homes to surround the chopper, immediately recognized Amien and showered him with warm greetings.

In a setting far removed from the East Java hamlet, hundreds of well-heeled "cosmopolitans" clapped politely in the ballroom of a posh Jakarta hotel as PAN leaders one by one took their places at the dais. Anyone watching carefully would have been able to spot that Amien paused briefly just behind the half- closed door, as if for effect, before making an entrance to an enthusiastic round of applause.

"It has to be admitted that Amien Rais is extremely popular. He is better known than the party," deputy chairman Abdillah Toha said.

Chief public relation officer Miranti Abidin concurred that "even the residents of remote areas know Amien Rais". She said the party's strategy was to lure rural voters with Amien's popularity, but win over more educated urbanites with its platform.

"This party was born out of the reform movement," Abdillah said. "Our chairman is the person who has since 1993 dared to speak against all the devils who were running the country for 30 years, who were fooling the people, corrupting the country and committing various offenses.

"And Pak Amien had, since (Soeharto) was in power, spoken out about the need for succession. This is a party born out of the arena of reform that the university students initiated."

Amien, who recently received his professorship in the School of Social and Political Studies at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta but immediately resigned from the civil servant post in adherence with the law, is indeed among the party's most important assets.

It might not extend to the emotional loyalty found among followers of Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), but the former chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization boasting 28 million followers, is the glue binding together the party's diverse supporters.

Another uniting factor, according to deputy chairman K. Sindhunata, is the party's pluralistic outlook. The Chinese- Indonesian assimilation campaigner, who is Protestant, joined the predominately Muslim party precisely because of its stated pluralism.

"It's important for Indonesia's future that all elements in society, regardless of their cultural, religious background or ethnicities, be involved," he said.

The party, which now has 27 provincial chapters and 310 branches at the regency level, also groups former dissident A.M. Fatwa, philosopher Toety Heraty, prominent Muslim scholar Dawam Rahardjo, director of the Institute for Interfaith Dialog Th. Sumartana, University of Indonesia economist Faisal Basri, historian Taufik Abdullah, economist Christianto Wibisono and activist Pius Lustrilanang.

Some may have hoped that Amien, after being courted by so many Muslim groups, would eventually build an "Islamic" party. But on Aug. 23, 1998, amid much fanfare and with about 15,000 people on hand in Jakarta, Amien declared the birth of a "modern" party open to all ethnicities and religions.

To crowds wearing T-shirts bearing the blue sun logo and chanting "Amien, Amien" and "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Great), Amien said the party would strive for "sovereignty of the people, democracy, progress and social justice.

"It respects and supports pluralism. The party is made up of Indonesians representing different beliefs, schools of thought, ethnic origins, races, religions and genders".

Abdillah said: "This party differs from the others. We are a nonreligious party. Our underlying principle is not Islam or anything else, but morality, humanity and pluralism."

Some political observers, such as Lance Castles of Gadjah Mada University, have predicted a big win for PAN in the elections. And Amien has never been shy about his intention to run for president. His team has even established a plan of action for the first 100 days of the new government in the event of a PAN win.

Again, the ambition to embrace everybody is displayed; foremost among its programs is the establishment of a coalition Cabinet comprising various social and political groups.

"The Cabinet will comprise people who are skilled in their fields of expertise, upright, without past shortcomings and with a clear commitment to the interests of the people," said Abdillah.

The party also plans to form a smaller Cabinet with 20 ministries to ensure efficiency and coordination. It wishes to spur a national reconciliation process and resolve problems in regions beset by calls for separatism such as Aceh, Irian Jaya and East Timor.

In addition, the party wishes to gradually reduce the Indonesian Military (TNI) involvement in politics and the economy, and restore public trust in the military. It promises to place the police force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, while the position of the military commander would be placed under the defense minister.

Abdillah said Megawati's PDI Perjuangan wanted Indonesia to remain a unitary state, but PAN long entertained the possibility of a federalist state.

"We believe unity does not necessarily mean we have to stay a unitary state. We have opened discoursed on federalism ... However, responses have been so far very emotional in nature," he lamented.

In addition, PAN strongly supports the notion to amend the 1945 Constitution.

The party also envisions a system that will activate the economy and which is oriented toward the interests of the people to restore national and international confidence in Indonesia, "which is nonexistent now", Abdillah said. (swe)