Jakarta – In order to resolve the conflict in Aceh there must be a new political party which does not have the mentality and methods of the New Order [regime of former President Suharto]. This new political party must have a concrete and clear agenda to resolve the Aceh problem and at the same time the problems of the Indonesian nation.

This issue was raised by Australian political observer Max Lane, in a discussion on the theme “Empowering the 2004 Elections to Resolve the Conflict in Aceh” in Jakarta on Monday September 15.

Lane said that if you look at the election laws and practices of almost all of the political parties at this time, in truth their practices reflect the mentality and methods of rule ala the New Order. “Is an election able to change this mentality and these methods of rule ala the New Order, theoretically it can. Meaning it must put forward an alternative so that ordinary people can vote for a political force which has a different mentality and method of rule”, said Lane, extolling the example of Venezuela, where the government which is in power at the moment has its roots among the ordinary people.

According to Lane, the principal problem in Aceh is not in fact located in the mechanisms of the elections but rather because a political force without the mentality of the New Order is yet to emerge. Those in power with the mentality of the New Order government can only be confronted with concrete actions.

“There are those who say that there must be a new political movement, a new social movement, moreover [that there is a need] to build an alternative. At the abstract level all of this is true. But, I think that there is no use in talking in the abstract, talk concretely. Concretely means there must be a new political party which has a concrete program”, said Lane. (LOK)

[Translated by James Balowski.]