Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
Dear all friends and comrades,
Amidst the violent threat and repressive situation, the foundation congress of Indonesian united party, now officially called PAPERNAS (National Liberation Party of Unity), finally accomplished yesterday, 20th January 2007 at 13 PM in Kaliurang Yogjakarta. We decided to shorten the congress and discussed only the most important topics such as party principle; statue, and national leadership, some other topics such as party program and strategy tactic will be decided by the elected Central Leadership Board (DPP) of PAPERNAS since all the participants from 19 regions already had parallel discussion and made various recommendations. The elected General Chairperson was Agus Jabo Priyono (also the general secretary of PRD) , and the national secretary was Haris Sitorus (also the General Secretary’s 2nd Deputy of PRD). Congress also decided three persons which were Dominggus Octavianus (the former chairperson of Preparatory Committee of PAPERNAS and the chairperson of FNPBI); Marlo Sitompul (the general chairperson of Urban Poor People Union/SRMK); and Wiwik Wijanarko (Organisation Dept of National Peasant Union/STN), to work together with the elected general chairperson and national secretary to elect the executive committee of the PAPERNAS.
The congress were participated by 320 full participants, 50 organizing committee, 5 foreign observers, and 3 domestic observers.
The foreign observers were Mr. Fransisco “Dodong” Nemenzo (Laban ng Masa-Philipines); V Selvam (central committee of PSM-Malaysia); Peter Boyle (National Secretary of DSP-Socialist Alliance Australia); Carsten Hubner (Linkspartei.PDS-Germany); and Max Lane (Indonesianist from University of Sidney and member of DSP Australia). The domestic observers were Thamrin Ananda (chairperson of Preparatory committee of Achenes People Party-KP PRA); George Adhitjondro; and Arkilous Baho (chairperson of Papua Student Alliance -KP AMP).
With this letter we would also like to give a compilation of news and solidarity to the PAPERNAS we’ve received during the 2 days-tension of the congress.
PRD will give a full support to the PAPERNAS onward to the 2009 election. As one of the founding member of KP-PAPERNAS, PRD also has a responsibility to make PAPERNAS as our concentration tactic.
Thank you for your kind attention,
Comradely,
ZELY ARIANE
Central Leadership Committee of People’s Democratic Party
(KPP-PRD)
(Department of International Relations)
Jl. Tebet Utara II No. 9
Jakarta Selatan 12810 Indonesia
Telp/Fax. (62) (21) 8291745
Mobile. (62) 815-8126673
website: www.prd-online.or.id
Solidarity Intiatives
Malaysia
Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:11:45 +0800
Urgent Statement:
Indonesian Left Facing Violent Threat!
Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) is deeply concern over the threat of attack by fascist militia against the newly formed broad left part in Indonesia , National Liberation Party of Unity (Partai Persatuan Pembebasan Rakyat Nasional, PAPERNAS). According to sources, there are about 100 militias from a far-right group, who called themselves “Forum Anti-Komunis” (FAKI), are planning to disrupt the founding congress of PAPERNAS, which is currently being held in Yogjakarta.
PSM also denounces the decision of the Indonesian police for refusal to issue permit for the founding congress of PAPERNAS and even refuse to stop the anticipated attack of the militia.
Preparatory Committee of the National Liberation Party of Unity (KP-Papernas) was established in a conference held on June 20-21, to unify the people’s power to create a new political alternative power in Indonesia, with the main program of “Repudiation of the foreign debt, Nationalization of mining industry and an industrialization national” .
The formation of the electoral party, PAPERNAS, is an initiative by progressive political party, Democratic People’s Party (Partai Rakyat Demokratik, PRD) together with labor unions like FNBPI (National Front for Indonesian Workers’ Struggle), SPB (Workers’s Solidarity Union) and Automotive Union, as well as student organizations like the Buddhist Students Organisation and the LNMD (National Students’ League for Democracy), and the Urban Poor Movement (SRMK). The new party will be aiming on bringing together different grassroots struggles against neoliberalism and religious fundamentalism.
Comrade V. Selvam, central committee member of PSM is currently attending the congress in Yogjakarta as solidarity with the newly formed party.
Despite violent threat from right-wing group, delegates who are attending the historical founding congress of PAPERNAS, have decided to proceed with the agenda of the congress.
PSM salutes the courage of comrades in Indonesia who are fearlessly taking up the challenge of resisting neoliberal attacks and now currently violent threat from the fascist group.
Released by,
Choo Chon Kai
International Bureau
Socialist Party of Malaysia / Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
Mobile: +60-19-5669518
Australia
From: Pip Hinman
To: “kp_papernas_pusat”@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:01:43 +1100
Subject: [Fwd: Allow democracy to flourish]
For your information:
Attn: Indonesian Ambassador, Canberra, Australia
Dear Mr/Mrs Ambassador,
Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific is writing to express our concern at hearing the news just now (January 19) that the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) conference is unable to get underway in Jogjakarta because anti-democratic forces are threatening the organisers.
We have also just heard that the police have not yet issued the conference organisers with a permit, even after the application had been lodged three weeks ago. It appears that the security forces are doing nothing to stop 500 hostile people from trying to prevent the conference from opening, and are threatening violence against the conference organisers.
We urge you to send this protest message to your colleagues in Jakarta, and for you to urge them to ensure that the conference can proceed. Papernas members, delegates and guests must be able to exercise their democratic right to freely discuss the political, economic and social issues facing the Indonesian people. This, after all, is what democracy is supposed to be about.
Yours sincerely,
Pip Hinman
for Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific
Sydney
Australia
Australia
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:03:02 +1100
Dear Papernas comrades,
We write to express our concern that the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) conference is currently being held hostage to anti-democratic elements in Indonesia.
We have heard that the police have not yet issued the conference with a permit, and that they are doing nothing to stop 500 hostile people from disrupting the conference opening and trying to harm the conference organisers.
We urge the Indonesian government and police to allow the congress to proceed. Papernas members, delegates and guests must be able to exercise their democratic right to freely discuss the political, economic and social issues facing the Indonesian people.
Solidarity,
Lisa Macdonald
for the Democratic Socialist Perspective, Australia
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:04:35 +1100
Australia
Green Left Weekly, Australia’s leading pro-democracy newspaper, strongly condemns attempts to prevent Papernas from holding its congress. We urge the Indonesian government and police to allow, and facilitate, the conduct of the congress in an environment that allows members, delegates and guests to exercise their democratic right to freely discuss the political, economic and social issues facing the Indonesian people.
Kerryn Williams,
editor,
Green Left Weekly (Australia)
Australia
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:05:43 +1100
The Australian socialist youth organisation Resistance wants to
express solidarity with our comrades in Indonesia attempting to hold
the Papernas congress in the face of anti-democratic attacks. We
condemn the complicity of the Indonesian authorities in this attempt
to prevent the congress from proceeding, and urge the government and
police to permit the participants to gather and hold the event. We
recognise the importance of this event in formulating an alternative
political program for the people of Indonesia, one based on social and
economic justice.
In solidarity,
Resistance.
France
January 19, 2007
Pierre Rousset
Europe solidaire sans frontières (ESSF)
http://www.europe-solidaire.org
Dear comrades,
1. Your urgent call has been put on ESSF website:
http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article4754
2. The following letter has been sent to the Indonesian Embassy in Paris
Dear Mr Ambassador,
We have learnt that the first congress of the National LIberation Party of Unity (Papernas), to be held in Kaliurang, Yogyakarta, 18-21 January 2007, is under threat. While the permit to organize the meeting was requested in due time and the police did not object, the day of the opening, the police refused to issue it. At the same time, few hundreds of people claiming to be members of the Indonesia Forum of Anti-Communist Group (FAKI) staged a prostest in front of the venue, threatening to forcibly disperse the congress.
The organization of Papernas congress is an integral part of democratic rights that your country pledges to uphold. The threat of physical attacks against the participants at the congress is an very grave breach in human rights and freedoms.
We urge you, Mr the Ambassador, to intervene for democratic and human rights to be respected, and for the Papernas congress to be allowed to proceed peacefully.
Paris, January 19, 2007,
Alain Krivine and Roseline Vachetta, former members of the European Parliament
Keep us informed,
In solidarity,
Sweden
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:41:27 +0100
Condemnation of repression in Indonesia
We, as members of the Swedish Parliament and of the European
Parliament,
are seriously concerned over the recent developments in connection with
the founding congress of the political party PAPERNAS in the city of
Yogyakarta. Police forces have refused, on completely arbitrary and
politically motivated grounds, to give permission to the holding of the
congress. Moreover, state forces have been working in cohorts with a
grouping of fascist thugs which have besieged the congress venue and
threatened the congress delegates with forcefully breaking up the
holding of the event.
We call upon the Indonesian government to clarify whether it is opposed
to the emergence of political pluralism in the country and to clarify
if
we are to understand that it wishes to return to the tactics of
political terror of previous regimes?
We extend our solidarity to our friends in PAPERNAS, who under severe
circumstances are gathered to formulate a democratic political
alternative to the crisis of the neoliberal order. The organizers of
the
congress in Yogyakarta should be aware that their ambitions to create a
more just society are shared by millions around the world, and that we
will continue our actions of solidarity with the democratic forces in
Indonesia.
Stockholm January 19, 2006
Jens Holm
Member of the European Parliament (GUE/NGL)
Member Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament
Hans Linde
Member of the Riksdag (National Parliament
of Sweden)
Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs
Australia
Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:14:21 +1100
Please find attached copy of message we faxed to the Indonesian
Ambassador here
in Australia. We do hope you can bring the Congress to a very successful
conclusion.
Best wishes,
John Wood & Ingeborg Fina
His Excellency Mr Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia
Canberra
20 January 2007
Dear Sir:
I am shocked to learn that the conference of an Indonesian political
organisation, the National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS),
being held in Yogyakarta, is being threatened with physical assault
by gangs from a so-called Indonesian Forum of Anti-Communist
Groups.
Even more outrageous is the news that police are refusing to
protect the conference against this threatened crime.
I am saddened indeed that Indonesian democracy appears to be
nothing but a meaningless word and that thugs are able to terrorise
Indonesian citizens and their guests.
Yours sincerely,
Allen Myers
New Zeland
Dear comrades
Here in New Zealand, comrades from Socialist Worker and from Workers
Charter
send congratulations on the successful completion of your PAPERNAS
conference in the face of intimidation by armed right-wing thugs. Well
done!
Grant Morgan
Great Britain
To: The Indonesian Ambassador London
We are writing to you to express our grave concern that the conference of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) is being prevented from taking place in Yogyakarta as a result of the actions of the police and the authorities.
It also appears that the security forces are doing nothing to prevent hundreds of hostile people for also trying to prevent the conference from opening.
We urge you to send this protest to the authorities in Jakarta and also that you urge them to allow the conference to proceed in line with normal democratic principles.
Yours sincerely
A Thornett, for Socialist Resistance
Twitter
Facebook