Thousands PAN launching in Yogyakarta

Thousands PAN launching in Yogyakarta

YOGYAKARTA (JP): About 25,000 people attended a ceremony to
launch the National Mandate Party's (PAN) Yogyakarta branch at
Kridosono Stadium here on Sunday.

Others who could not fit into the stadium held rallies in
parts of the city, in many cases causing heavy traffic
congestion.

On the same day, PAN opened its Central Java provincial branch
and Surakarta regency branch in Surakarta, Central Java.

Thousands of people arrived at the stadium in Yogyakarta early
in the morning to get a seat to hear PAN chairman Amien Rais and
the party's deputy chairman, A.M. Fatwa, speak.

A number of local Chinese-Indonesian businesspeople were
announced as members of the branch's board of executives. Non-
governmental organization activists and retired members of the
Armed Forces were also included on the board.

During his inauguration speech, Amien pledged: "From now on,
PAN's shining light will be eradicating corruption, collusion and
nepotism from Indonesia."

When Amien launched the party last month, he said it would be
open to all regardless of race, religion and creed. Of the more
than 80 new parties launched throughout the country since May,
PAN is one of few believed to become strong contenders in the
next election slated for May.

Since then, Amien has set up provincial branches, including in
Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi, Bandung in West Java and
Palembang in South Sumatra.

Another new party, the Justice Party, launched its Yogyakarta
branch on Friday at the same stadium, attended by some 5,000
people. Its chairman, Nur Mahmudi Ismail, said the party rejected
the sole principle of Pancasila imposed on all parties during the
rule of former president Soeharto.

"We support Pancasila as the umbrella of the country's
national life but we uphold Islam as the basis of our
organization," he said.

Commenting on the draft law on general elections recently
submitted to the House of Representatives, Nur Mahmudi said the
requirements for parties to contest the elections reflected the
insensitivity of the bill's drafters to the ongoing crisis.

He said the bill's requirement that a party must obtain 1
million signatures in the case that it could not establish 14
branches was excessive.

"Two hundred million rupiah would be needed just to photocopy
the identity cards (accompanying the supporters' signatures).
This doesn't make sense."

The party's board of executives and advisors includes several
local intellectuals, including Khalid Mahmud, a former activist
and now a dean at the private Cokroamintoto University here,
Gadjah Mada University historian Ahmad Adaby Darban and other
local professors. (23/44/har/byg)