Yogyakarta – The founding congress of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) that took place on 18-20 January in Kaliurang, Yogyakarta, Central Java, succeeded in reaching a number of agreements. This was despite the fact that the congress was almost broken up by a group calling themselves the Indonesia Anti-Communist Front (FAKI) who believe Papernas is an embryonic communist party.

The agreements that were reached included electing Agus Priyono as the general chairperson of Papernas and Haris Sitorus as the general secretary. “Because yesterday we had launched [five] presidential candidates1, we also chose Dita Inda Sari is a candidate”, said the chairperson of the congress standing committee Lukman Hakim on Saturday January 20.

According to Lukman, elected chairperson and general secretary of Papernas will become the formulators. They will be assisted by three other people to compliment the party’s structure of the central leadership board and other organisational needs.

Three banners

The congress, which was attended by 370 people from 23 provinces, discussed a number of programs that make up their central program – Three Banners of National Unity. The Three Banners are the nationalisation of the mining industry, the abolition of the foreign debt and building national industry for the welfare of the people.

“The Three Banners are actually a program that we took up six months ago and will become the future program. The details will be discussed by the central leadership that was elected”, said Lukman.

Aside from the Three Banners, the other issues that were discussed were the national political situation, which according to the congress is experiencing a deepening influence of neoliberalism in all aspects of Indonesia, and the political problems that have failed to bring welfare to the people.

Lukman said that the momentum of the 2009 general elections are still seen as a political opportunity that can be taken up by the movements. This is because society currently still has no strong and alternative vehicle that is capable of leading it in a better direction.

In relation to the permit from the national police headquarters to organise the congress, Lukman admitted they did not know about it. “Only as of yesterday was there a recommendation from the regional police (Yogyakarta police) to organise it. In fact the police themselves did not deny that we had already gone through the procedures [for the permit]. Only that it is in process”, he said.

The congress was marred by a minor incident when Andi Nurjaya, one of the participants form south Sulawesi was rushed to the Panti Nugroho Pakem Public Hospital because of a miscarriage. She was suspected of suffering from stress. (WER)

Notes:

1. On January 16 Papernas put forward the names of five people that it would support as presidential candidates in 2009: economists Kwik Kian Gie and Rizal Ramli, the director of the Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicated research group Sukardi Rinakit, the younger brother of former President Abdurrahman Wahid and labour activist and People’s Democratic Party chairperson Dita Indah Sari.

[Translated by James Balowski.]