Suspected commies want to be allowed in April's election

Suherdjoko and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Semarang/Jakarta

Former suspected members of the Indonesia Communist Party (PKI) are urging the government they be allowed to contest the legislative election after a court this week ruled part of a law banning them was invalid.

Sutarko Hadi Wacono, who was previously detained for alleged involvement in the outlawed party, called on the Purworejo Provincial Elections Office (KPUD) to restore his name to the list of candidates for the Central Java legislature.

"The KPUD Purworejo removed my name from the list ... because it accused me of being involved in the PKI movement in 1965," Sutarko said in Semarang, Central Java on Thursday.

The newly established Constitutional Court declared as void on Tuesday an article in the legislative election law, which banned former PKI members from contesting the legislative election.

The verdict paves the way for former communist members and their families to become legislative members and has sparked calls for their reinstatement as candidates for this year's elections.

However, the court said on Tuesday the ruling would not be applied until the 2009 elections, as the deadline for submitting legislative candidates for this year's election had passed.

Freedom Bull Nationalist Party candidate Sutarko accused the Purworejo KPUD of arbitrarily banning him from contesting in the election despite the lack of evidence of his involvement in the abortive coup d'etat blamed on the PKI in 1965.

"I was acquitted of involvement in the PKI by the Purworejo military district command in 1967. I have the document (of acquittal), so why did the KPUD accuse me of involvement in the outlawed party?" he said.

Another alleged PKI member, Utomo, said he wanted his good name restored along with his political rights.

"The New Order regime was so cruel to me for years -- I deserve rehabilitation" said Utomo, who is also a legislative candidate.

In Jakarta, Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung said he supported a court ruling former PKI members could contest legislative elections -- in 2009.

"By 2009 it's possible there will be no more former PKI members who could contest the elections as they would already be too old," Akbar said.

Golkar, he said, still believed former communist members should not participate in any form of political activities in the country.

PNBK leader Eros Djarot, meanwhile, said his party supported the court's decision.

"Political rights belong to every citizen and are guaranteed by the Constitution," he said.

Despite the historical ruling by the Constitutional Court, the state still bans the participation of former PKI members in the election of president and vice president. This ruling is set out in Law No. 23/2003 on the election.

Also still in force is a Provisional People's Consultative Assembly decree, which outlaws the PKI as a political party and criminalizes any attempt to disseminate or teach Communist, Leninist or Marxist philosophies in the country.

The decree was enacted following an abortive national coup blamed on the PKI, which ended with the extrajudicial killing of hundreds of thousands of alleged PKI members. It is believed PKI members also killed many people arbitrarily.

Historians and human rights activists have called on the government to scrap dozens of existing laws that discriminate against former PKI members.

The country will hold the legislative elections on April 5 in which 24 political parties will participate.