Detik.com - March 17, 2006

Nur Raihan Banda Aceh - Not long from now a local
political party will enliven the political dynamics
in Aceh. An embryonic Acehnese political party has
already been officially launched.

The embryonic local party is called the Acehnese
Peoples Party Preparatory Committee (KP-PRA) which
already has representatives in 11 regencies/cities
across Aceh.

“If in [after the draft] law on a government for
Aceh [is ratified], local parties are accommodated
in accordance with the Helsinki Memorandum of
Understanding, then next August we will proclaim the
KP-PRA as a local party in Aceh”, KP-PRA chairperson
Thamrin Ananda told Detik.com in Banda Aceh on
Thursday March 16.

Ananda explained that if it turns out that local
parties are still unable to be created after the
draft law has been ratified, the KP-PRA will
affiliate with one of the national political parties
that has the same vision and mission as the KP-PRA.

Such a national party must be a party that wants a
government that is clean, democratic, populist and
free from foreign intervention. In addition to this
they must place ordinary people as the subjects and
not just as object during elections.

The declaration - that was held at a restaurant in
Banda Aceh - was attended by around 600 people made
up of KP-PRA cadres and sympathisers, most coming
from Banda Aceh and Greater Aceh. Aside from
students, the KP-PRA’s cadre and sympathisers also
come from farmers and traders.

According to Ananda, 500 KP-PRA cadres are presently
deployed in a number of regencies/cities across Aceh
including Banda Aceh, Greater Aceh, Sigli, Bireun,
North Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Central Aceh, West Aceh,
Nagan Raya and South Aceh. (fjr)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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