PRD launches forum for reformers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Democratic People's Party (PRD) launched on Thursday the Democracy Front to unite like-minded reformers within a forum in a bid to revive the country's original reform movement.

PRD secretary-general Natalia Scholastika said the Democracy Front could prove to become a viable opposition force to the government and the legislature.

Asked what the forum would stand for, she said "first as a savior of the people's sovereignty, then as the savior of the people's political and economic agenda, and last as (a means) to overthrow the Megawati-Hamzah Haz government."

She said toppling the government was easy, however this was just the first step toward changing the system with which the government was working under.

"The final target of the Democratic Front is to introduce this nation to a new system of government, a new economic and political concept," she said.

She said the front would hold a conference sometime later this month to hammer out the details of its goals and how it would achieve them.

Anyone who is basically anti-President Megawati Soekarnoputri is invited to join, she said, adding that they wanted the forum to be informal.

Thursday's launch of the front followed a discussion on the fate of Indonesia's reform movement.

Discussion participants included former president Abdurrahman Wahid, labor activist Dita Indah Sari and foreign expert on Indonesia Jeffrey Winters.

Dita supported the idea of the Democracy Front becoming a common platform, and called Megawati's presidency a disappointment to the people.

Appearing hesitant to back the front was Abdurrahman, who noted that it could lead to a revolution of which nobody understood its objective yet.

"We should first come together and discuss what we mean by a revolution," he said.