Jakarta – Student activists, workers, farmers and the urban poor have started planning the establishment of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) to fight for the welfare of the oppressed in the 2009 general elections.

This was conveyed by the general secretary of the Papernas preparatory committee, Lukman Hakim, during the launch of the committee today on Sunday July 23 at the National Library in Jakarta.

The event to launch the Papernas preparatory committee was attended by social activists who they referred to genuinely representing the aspirations of the ordinary people. Also present were groups from various layers of society that represent the interests of the ordinary people such as the urban poor, street buskers, trade unions as well as people who have been the victims of government policies that side with the ideology of neo-imperialism.

According to Hakim, the activists, both those from student groups, workers, farmers as well as the urban poor have been considering forming a political party to participate in the 2009 general elections, which can genuinely struggle for the people’s welfare, not just turn the people into a commodity to increase their popularity.

They believe that governments since the New Order regime of former President Suharto up until the present government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, have taken advantage of the people by making promises and using them as political flavoring for their campaigns, but after they get into power they fail to carry out a program that sides with the ordinary people.

In order to realise the concept of returning to struggling for the ordinary people rather than using them as a political commodity, the Papernas preparatory committee will be carrying out a program based on three banners of nationalism: The abolition of the foreign debt, the nationalisation of mining companies and the development of the national industry for the welfare of the people. [E-5]

[Translated by James Balowski.]