Medan (SIB) – Dozens of people from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) demonstrated at Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) in the North Sumatra regional capital of Medan on Tuesday April 10 against the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas). The protesters believe that Papernas is extremely dangerous because it only wants to legalise and provide legal guarantees to commercial sex workers and is hiding behind the mask of the state ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

The demonstrators gave speeches and issued a statement against the establishment of Papernas, which held its founding congress in Kaliurang, Central Java in January. They said that this was extremely dangerous because the denial of religious values is becoming ever more rampant and fate of the country will be to degenerate into an uncivilized nation.

Action organisers Muhammad Iqbal and Ustad Muliyamin said that Papernas only acknowledges Pancasila as the country’s ideological basis and the 1945 Constitution as a constitution. In addition to this, Papernas’ adheres to imperialist principles (sic) in order to try to recruit members from all sectors of society, particularly from the working class, farmers, students and the urban poor. Based on this, the FPI is asking that the National Unity and Social Protection Agency (Kesbang Linmas) not to accept Papernas’ when it registers itself nationally on June 2.

They also called on the national and North Sumatra General Election Commission not to verify the registration of a party that has communism as its ideology, because it violate Tap MPRS Number 25/1996 and Law Number 27/19991 on the dissolution of the Indonesian Communist Party. They are also asking the police as investigators and the enforcers of the law to have the courage to take firm action against Papernas and disband all of its regency and municipal offices throughout North Sumatra.

The FPI is also asking the leaders and members of the North Sumatra DPRD to be more careful and stay on guard against the communist movement in the legislator because they suspect that it has already been infiltrated by certain individuals who want to spread communist ideology in North Sumatra and that they also suspect that the mastermind behind this spread is the financier of Papernas in North Sumatra.

They are therefore asking the people of North Sumatra to be wary of agitation and propaganda that is being manipulated by certain irresponsible individuals to overthrow the Pancasila state and the 1945 Constitution and replace it with communist ideas. (A13/c)

Notes:

1. Tap MPRS XXV/1966 – MPRS Decree Number XXV/1966 on the Dissolution of the Indonesian Communist Party and Prohibitions on Marxist, Leninist and Communist
Teachings. Law No. 27/1999 is a revision to the Criminal Code that codifies the MPRS Decree.

[Translated by James Balowski.]