Solo – The National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) has been unlucky of late. A meeting to establish a branch management board in Tanjung Anom, Grogol, Sukoharjo, was forcibly broken up by a certain group. Feeling cornered, Papernas is officially and strenuously denying the accusation that it is linked with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

During a press conference at Joglo Sriwedari on Monday, the chairperson of Papernas’s Solo branch, Suprapto explained that the party he leads has absolutely no link with the party formed by [PKI chairperson] DN Aidit in earlier times.

According to Suprapto, there is not the slightest indication that Papernas has a communist ideology. “We are a genuine nationalist party. We are fully protected by [the state ideology of] Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. So, if there is a presumption that we are a new PKI, this accusation is baseless. Perhaps they only understand us partially, not in our entirety”, said Suprapto.

On the question of the party’s slogan of Tri Panji (the Three Banners of National Unity), Suprapto said this is merely coincidental. Particularly if it is linked with the slogans used by the PKI in the past.

According to Suprapto, for their party the program of Tri Panji is in the genuine interests of the ordinary people. “Our Tri Panji includes abolishing the foreign debt, the nationalisation of the mining industry and building the national industry. If all of this becomes a reality, we are certain that the people too will feel the benefits. Once again, what is certain, is that we will revive the spirit of nationalism that has been dying out”, he continued.

Central Java Papernas Chairperson Kelik Ismunanto added that their party is orientating towards the future. They want to make the spirit of unity the basis for the achievement of the country’s goals.

“I am surprised, why are we being accused of being the new PKI. Who knows, perhaps the people who accuse us are people that don’t care about the nation. What is certain, is that this intimidation will not influence with our line of march. We will continue to move forward”, he asserted.

On the question of the breaking up of the Papernas event in Grogol not long ago, Papernas plans to take the matter up with the Surakarta (Solo) district police. They will be asking the police to take responsibility for the actions by the group that broke up the meeting. According to Kelik, the police should have provided protection because they already had a permit to hold the event.

“But what happened, was precisely that the police permitted them to wreak our plans. This is wrong. We are asking the police to take responsibility. Because our event already had a permit [from the police]”, he said.

Kelik also cited an article from the 1945 Constitution, which states that all citizens have the right to association and assembly. So the police are obliged to protect citizen’s rights.

However Kelik as well as Suprapto said that they have yet to decided whether or not they will lodge a formal complaint over the incident. At this stage they are planning to report the cases separately. “Certainly we will report their actions. But we will do this after we have asked the police to take responsibility”, continued Kelik.

Kelik also said they still need additional materials to complete their complaint. But what is certain, Kelik and his colleagues will be reporting the groups actions to the Central Java Department of Justice and Human Rights. “The planned agenda for event that was broken up will be use to complete the administrative requirements that are to be presented to the Department of Justice and Human Rights, as complimentary material for [our] fitness to participate in the elections”, he continued.

As has been reported, when Papernas was holding a working meeting at the Gajah Building in Tanjung Anom not long ago, it was visited by members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). They asked that the event be canceled because they believe that Papernas represents the PKI. In the confusion that followed, Sukoharjo Regent Bambang Riyanto intervened to resolve the issue. (mg5)

[Translated by James Balowski.]