Parties ignore public demands: Forum

Parties ignore public demands: Forum

JAKARTA: Most of the 24 political parties contesting the
upcoming elections are not concerned with public demands, the
Forum of People's Concern for the House says.

The forum said on Thursday that only four of the 24 parties --
the Freedom Bull National Party (PNBK), the Freedom Party, the
Pancasila Patriots' Party, and the Indonesian Democratic Vanguard
Party (PPDI) -- completed and returned its survey about their
commitment to improving the performance of the House of
Representatives (DPR).

Initially, the forum said, 10 parties, including Golkar and
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), had picked
up the survey and promised to return it.

Thirteen others, including the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and
the National Mandate Party (PAN), could not be contacted or were
unavailable due to campaign activities, while one party could not
be located.

The forum said the four respondents mostly agreed to public
demands for transparency and accountability on the part of the
House, among others. -- JP