Politicians agree Constitution forbids opposition

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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