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"Current outdated laws on political parties and mass organizations should be scrapped or at least reviewed, because they are no longer suitable to present situation," he said.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