Politicians agree Constitution forbids opposition
JAKARTA (JP): Politicians and observers agreed yesterday the 1945 Constitution did not recognize opposition, but some of them underlined the need for greater democratization.
They were responding to President Soeharto's statement on Tuesday that Indonesia had no room for opposition and that critics of his government did not understand the basics of the country's political system.
United Development Party (PPP) Secretary-General Tosari Wijaya said the President might have been referring to sacked PPP legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas who, along with activists of the unrecognized Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) he established, rejects Soeharto's re-election and is preparing a post-Soeharto administration.
Bintang, his deputy leader Julius Usman and another PUDI activist Saleh Abdullah, are currently being detained at the Attorney General's Office on subversion charges.
Tosari said Bintang's decision to form an opposition party was an "awful" move considering one of Pancasila's (the state ideology) fundamental aspects was the principle of consensus through deliberation. Under such a political system, there are neither opposition nor government parties.
Tosari, however, also leveled criticism at the government. "We need to put Pancasila democracy back on its original track," he said.
"All three parties join forces to draw up the state policy guidelines, but when it comes to the policy implementation only one political group stands out," he added, referring to the dominant Golkar grouping.
Political observer Amir Santoso of the University of Indonesia said that the President must have had sufficient reason to issue such a statement.
"I believe he wouldn't just accuse anybody without proper evidence," said Amir, a Golkar legislature candidate.
Amir agreed that those who are considered to have behaved unconstitutionally should be taken to court.
"We have to learn how to practice democracy in this country and those who violate the law should be punished," he added.
Another expert, Arbi Sanit, speculated that Soeharto's warning was not aimed at anybody specific.
He believed that Bintang was just exercising his rights to speak and form an organization, two things allowed by the Constitution.
"The problem, however, has its root in the fact that the 1945 Constitution is controversial, because its interpretation depends on the authorities," Arbi said.
"It's a pity that the tag of 'unconstitutional conduct' is attached only to critics," he added.
Indonesian Democratic Party faction Chairwoman Fatimah Achmad said that Soeharto was only reminding the nation to stick to Pancasila democracy.
"Different opinions are allowed in our democracy, provided they do not lead to anarchy or other unconstitutional conduct," Fatimah said.
She speculated that most of Indonesia's 200 million people are loyal to the Constitution and the state ideology. "Only a very few people think about changing the Constitution," she said.
Another political observer from the University of Airlangga, Aribowo, said the President's statement was probably merely a warning to anyone considering trying to ruin or break away from the already accepted system. (12/amd)
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