Unrecognized new party gains more support

Unrecognized new party gains more support

JAKARTA (JP): The newly formed opposition Indonesian
Democratic Union Party (PUDI), which the government has refused
to recognize, gained the support of a former general and two
scholars yesterday.

Former army general Soemitro and senior political observers
Mochtar Buchori and Arief Budiman aired their views during the
seminar, organized by the Institute for Information Flow Studies
and led by political observer Ekky Syachrudin.

"There is nothing illegal in forming a new political party,
because the 1945 Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and
assembly," Soemitro said.

They said during yesterday's seminar that the party,
established by fired legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, is lawful
because the Constitution guarantees freedom of association and
speech.

Controversial politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas, together with
a number of political activists, established the party, which the
government condemned as illegal last month.

Bintang says the new party will not contest next year's
general election, because it distrusts the existing political and
electoral system. It declared, however, that it would aim to
reform the system itself.

Soemitro, a former commander of the defunct Internal Security
Agency, said that, in his opinion, it is up to the people to
decide whether they need a new political organization or not.

He called on the highest lawmaking body, the People's
Consultative Assembly, to review the political laws that restrict
the establishment of a new party.

The 1985 law on sociopolitical organizations only recognizes
three political organizations in Indonesia: Golkar, the United
Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI).

"Current outdated laws on political parties and mass
organizations should be scrapped or at least reviewed, because
they are no longer suitable to present situation," he said.

Scholar Mochtar Buchori said the establishment of the new
party was inspired by the existing parties' inability to
accommodate the public's interests.

He said it is high time Indonesia redefined the word
"opposition", because the delicate nature of Indonesian politics
has given it a negative connotation.

A person having a different opinion on a particular problem
from other members of the bureaucracy will be considered as the
opposition and subject to harassment, he said.

He suggested that the government should change the political
system, allowing people to air their opinions without fear.

Arief Budiman, known as a government critic, said that PUDI
was established at the "right time", when the current political
situation has led people to believe that the existing political
organizations are toothless.

"I am sure that the people would not accept PUDI if it had
been established in the 1970s," he said. "People support PUDI not
because they admire Bintang, but rather because they are tired of
the political situation at present."

Arief said the PPP and the PDI should have the courage to
stand up and declare themselves opposition parties.

The new party has received strong opposition from the
legislative body and the government.

Leaders of the four political factions in the House of
Representatives have expressed their opposition, saying that it
was a rebellion against the Constitution. (imn)

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