Ryaas to establish new party

JAKARTA: Former state minister of administrative reform Ryaas Rasyid and popular political analyst Andi Malarangreng will declare a new political party in Jakarta on July 28 to contest the 2004 elections.

"The new party will be named the Nation's Democratic Party (PDB)," Ryaas said in Eaat Java capital of Surabaya on Wednesday.

He claimed that a number of noted political analysts and retired high-ranking military officers will join the party.

"We are still in the process of selecting members of our party's central board. All figures will be newcomers," he said.

Ryaas said PDB would prioritize programs aimed at improving the quality of public leadership.

He could not, however, give details on how many votes the party expected at the next elections.

More than 150 political parties have registered with the Minister of Justice and Human Rights to compete for the elections. --Antara