Jakarta — The National Liberation Party of Unity
(Papernas) has decided to be realistic. They have
chosen to postpone their desire to take part in the
2009 legislative and presidential elections. They
have taken this position because of pressures that
have emerged since the political party was launched
in Jakarta on July 22, 2006.

"We’re just being realistic, it’s not a problem.
Moreover, the aim of forming a party is not just to
take part in elections", said Papernas advisory
council chairperson Dita Indah Sari in Jakarta
yesterday, May 1. Sari claimed that the communist
stigma that has been attached to Papernas had become
one of the biggest problems for the party.

Because they are no longer aiming to take part in
the 2009 elections, Papernas has not registered
itself with the Department of Justice and Human
Rights in order to be verified as a legal entity.
Papernas is not planning to register with the
department headed by Justice Minister Andi
Mattalatta until next August. "We are indeed
pursuing the 2014 elections", she asserted.

Then, what will Papernas do in the 2009 elections?
Sari explained that Papernas is in the process of
preparing to enter into a coalition. "But, I can’t
mention the name of the party. The thing is, its
still under negotiation", said Sari evasively when
asked which political party will be Papernas’s
coalition partner. "What is clear is it won’t be the
Golkar Party or the PDI-P [Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle]", added Sari laughing.

Sari is of the view that it would be better to enter
into a coalition with a party that is not too large
or well established. In this way Papernas’s idea is
that it will have a greater potential to be
accommodated. "If it’s a party that’s already
established, our ideas would surely be rejected.
Older and senior figures are usually unwilling to
make way", she said.

Because of this therefore continued Sari, it is most
likely that Papernas’s will enter into a colation
with a political party that is also still seeking a
format. "Perhaps, a new party so that we can be more
creative", she asserted.

According to Sari, Papernas has set a number of
criteria for a political party that could invite to
enter into a coalition. For example, a pro-
autonomous economic platform and not taking up the
concept of a religious state. "We hope, their elite
[leadership] would also have a track record that
isn’t totally rotten", she said.

So if Papernas is already planning to participate in
the 2014 elections, does this mean that a coalition
in 2009 is simply pragmatic in nature? "If
cooperation is agreeable, yeah, it could continue.
But, we are still making preparations in case midway
it turns out not to be compatible", said the
activist born in the East Java city of Medan on
December 20, 36 years ago. (pri/mk)