Papernas conference in Sukoharjo forcibly broken up by Islamic thugs

Tempo Interactive - April 30, 2007.

Imron Rosyid, Solo — Dozens of members of Surakarta
Islamic Community Militia (LUIS) forcibly broke up a
conference being held by the National Liberation Party
of Unity (Papernas) in the Central Java city of
Sukoharjo on Sunday March 29. Islamic groups in
Jakarta have taken similar actions against Papernas.

The LUIS members blockaded the entrance to the
conference venue at the Gajah House on Jl. Yos Sudarso
in the Tanjung Anom area of Sukoharjo. Members of the
Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) (sic) even frisked a
police intelligence officer who they accused of being
a provocateur. "We have evidence, Papernas is PKI
[Indonesian Communist Party]", said LUIS general
secretary Khoirul Suparjo.

Shouting “God is great”, the LUIS members who were
wearing robes and turbans arrived on motorbikes and an
open pickup truck. Papernas members who believed they
already had a permit to hold the event tried to hold
them off from inside the building. However because the
LUIS members outnumbered conference participants, some
of them decided to leave the venue before the event
started.

Sukoharjo Regent Bambang Riyanto, who was wearing
tennis sportswear, then facilitated a dialogue between
the two groups in order to prevent anarchic acts. The
head of the Papernas conference organising committee,
Onang Tiyoso eventually gave in and agreed to halt the
event but under the condition that all FPI members
must leave the location before they disbanded. "In
formal terms, Papernas does in fact actually have a
permit for the activity, but in order that the local
situation remains favorable, I have asked Papernas to
cancel the event", said Riyanto.

Suparjo said that his organisation would continue to
hunt down Papernas members that want to organise
similar activities saying based on the statutes and
rules of association that they have on the party,
Papernas is communist. He cited the Papernas’ program
of Tripanji(1), the protection of prostitutes and so
forth as evidence that they are identical to the PKI.

Meanwhile the chairperson of Papernas’ Central Java
Regional Leadership Board, Kelik Ismunanto said he
regretted the LUIS’ actions in forcibly breaking up
the event. According to Ismunanto, regardless of LUIS’
perceptions of Papernas they do not have the authority
to prohibit or break up their events. "Our party is
registered with the Department of Justice and Human
Rights, we will be participating in the 2009 general
elections and we had already obtained a permit for the
event from the police", said Ismunanto while promising
that they would take legal action against LUIS over
the incident.

Notes:

1. Tripanji - Papernas’ Three Banners of National
Unity: Abolishing the foreign debt, nationalising the
mining industry and build the national industry for
the welfare of the people.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

---

 FPI failed to disperse Mayday action

Papernas

A commemoration of May Day in Yogyakarta was almost marred by a clash when protesters from the Yogyakarta People’s and Worker Alliance (ARPY) were unexpectedly waylaid by members of the Anti-Communist Front (FAKI) and the Yogyakarta Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

Having The National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS) as a members of Alliance, FAKI and FPI accused ARPY of being infiltrated by communist ideology.

The incident occurred at intersection in front of the central post office when a man climbed up onto an open pickup truck that ARPY was using as a platform and dragged a person giving a speech off the vehicle.
Initially the ARPY activists were too shocked to react but were eventually able to rescue their colleague.

Tension rose as FAKI and ARPY members confronted each other. To keep the action running, the mass action hand in hand make people chain. The action is continuing with the political speech from every representative of the organization. FPI members finally leave the area

Cukup Sudah Jadi Bangsa Kuli, Bangkit Jadi Bangsa Mandiri!

---

 Papernas flags burnt at FPI protest in Bekasi

Media Indonesia - April 30, 2007

Golda Eksa, Bekasi — Around 30 members of the
Bekasi Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) gave speeches
and set fire to flags of the National Liberation
Party of Unity (Papernas) in front of the Bekasi
municipal government offices on Monday April 30.
They also brought banners and posters with messages
opposing Papernas.

"Papernas, is a reincarnation of the Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI). Papernas [says it] is
populist democratic. This term is the camouflage
that is usually used by communists or socialist in
Indonesia like the PKI. It is because of this that
we don’t want the party to grow and develop", said
action coordinator Ustad (title of Islamic teacher)
Abdurrahman.

Abdurrahman went on to say that the PKI’s once cause
the nation to loose its best sons. Moreover he said,
thousands of Muslims were wiped out by the PKI.

After giving speeches for around an hour, the
protesters set fire to Papernas flags shouting that
they will not tolerate Papernas’ presence,
especially in Bekasi.

>From the Bekasi government offices, they then moved
off to continue the action at the Bekasi City
Regional House of Representatives on Jl. Chairul
Anwar in East Bekasi under the tight security of the
Bekasi municipal police. (GG/OL-02).

[Translated by James Balowski.]

---

 Keeping the power in their hand ; the agenda behind the new political bill and the repression to Papernas

Ever since pro market-policy introduces, poverty, injustice and oppression are the common experience of the Poor’s daily lives.

List of the injustice is too long to describe in this rich country where Chevron, Exxon mobile oil and other giant corporations collect millions in the land where more than 40 million people live with less than a dollar per day. The country which provides all necessary flexibilities in terms of regulation and tax- elimination for foreign investment, despite 10 million of its workers are thrown into unemployment and million others being trapped in insecure job.

Everyday, media publishes starvation, malnutrition and impoverishment as a reality faced by the people who live in the countries with abundant natural resources. Although media have widely published its economic decline in statistics still that do not represent millions whose lives are sacrificed by the pro-market policy.

Protests have sparked from various sectors across the country condemning injustice and to bring the rights back to the people. Restless voices begin questioning: what will free us from all of these? Then this question will lead to the next question: What is a necessary thing to do to bring the sovereignty to the people ?

In this critical situation, on January 18-21, 2006 The National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) emerged as an alternative party that determines to unify various democratic organizations. Papernas launches its three strategic programs that will overcome this ongoing crisis. The program consists of ; Repudiation of Foreign debt, Nationalization of mining industries and Strengthening and Protecting the National industries for people’s welfare. Therefore the solution, being directly contradicted the role of International capital is then considered as a serious threat to the ruling class whose later, as a counter-reaction, starts to launch series of repression and violence.

Stumbling block through politic and through repression

The first action is to label Papernas as a communist organization and use anti-democratic groups to stop any Papernas’ activities. Thirty two years of Suharto’s military dictatorship that demonizing communist has produced a strong impact to Indonesian people, despite the fact that Communist Party-suspected Coup in 1965 have never been proved and still very much an endless debates by national and overseas historians.

As a result, Papernas then has to face experiences on repression. The groups, whatever their names are, have similar character intimidated and repressed various events. The group who called themselves Anti-communist group (FAKI) intended to disperse the declaration of Party’s Preparatory committees last January this year. FAKI also intimidated Party Founding congress. On March 29, the group who called themselves as Islam defender forum (FPI) attacked PAPERNAS convoy and injured 12 participants, mostly women. All the threat and repression happened in front of the police who took no serious action to them. State apparatus negligence has reaffirmed the political motive behind the attack.

Besides repression, the rulers conduct political action as well. The ruling parties that strongly defend neoliberal policy would not tolerate people’s movement to come in their way.. Then they put forward a political bill that aim to limit the people’s participation on election. By pushing a much more difficult requirements. The bill designs to render new political party to flourish. In order to get registered as the election candidate any political party must deposit five billion Rupiah (US$ 500.000). Furthermore the party must establish its structures in 66% of the entire number of provinces , 75% of the total district and 50% of the sub district.

The ten-year-celebration of the downfall of the Suharto’s dictatorship has nearly come.. But democracy in this 220 million-inhabited country is going through a fragile and very unstable way. The new-born democracy have found itself step into the trap of globalization, in which neoliberal policy is legitimized and justified by what so called the state’s democratic institutions. On the other hand, this pro-neoliberal government has no intention to exercise its resources to seriously protect and defend democracy, being busy itself maintaining political supports from various Islamic groups and figures.

Providing an alternative political power is then the only rational way left for the democratic movement. We, the new party, Papernas, consider our self as trying to fulfill this role, despite the mounting pressure and repression. We believe that an alternative is what this nation needed. And Papernas is there, simply to give them hope that another Indonesia, a very different one, is possible.

Katarina Pujiastuti

Heads of International Relation

The National Liberation Party of Unity

Jl Tebet Dalam 2 G no 1

Jakarta Selatan – Indonesia

Phone : +62-21 8354513

Email: papernas yahoo.com

www.papernas.org

Cukup Sudah Jadi Bangsa Kuli, Bangkit Jadi Bangsa Mandiri!

---

 Prominent NU cleric Abdullah Faqih to lead anti- Papernas group

Antara News - April 14, 2007

Surabaya — Prominent Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) cleric
and the caretaker of the Langitan pesantren
(traditional Islamic boarding school) in Tuban, East
Java, KH Abdullah Faqih has been chosen to lead a
group opposing the National Liberation Party of
Unity (Papernas).

The senior ulama (Islamic scholar) has been
appointed to be the advisor to the Friendship Forum
to Safeguard Pancasila and the Unitary State of the
Republic of Indonesia Against the Threat of Neo-
Communism (Forum Silaturrahmi Mengawal NKRI dan
Pancasila dari Ancaman Neo-Komunisme) that held a
consolidation meeting in the East Java provincial
capital of Surabaya on Saturday, which was attended
by delegations from Sumatra, Java and West Nusa
Tenggara.

Other prominent figures that were in attendance
included KH Ir. Solahuddin Wahid (Gus Solah, the
caretaker of Tebuireng pesantren in Jombang), Prof.
Dr. Aminuddin Kasdi (East Java Indonesian Historians
Society, MSI), Prof. Dr. Edi Sri Swasono
(economist), Taufik Ismail (cultural observer),
retired TNI Major General Sutoyo NK (the former
director general of social and political affairs at
the Department of Domestic Affairs) and KH
Abdussshomad Bukhori (chairperson of the East Java
Indonesian Ulemas Council, MUI).

"The PKI [Indonesian Communist Party] has indeed
been destroyed, but communist ideas are resurfacing
through various means and because of this vigilance
is needed", said Faqih who is also one of the
founders of the Ulama National Awakening Party
(PKNU).

Faqih believes that one of the ways in which ex-PKI
or PKI cadres are rising up again is through
politics, education and the law. "The political
means being undertaken includes among other things
efforts to revoke the Tap MPRS XXV/1966(1), but it
failed“, he said.”Now, they are trying to take advantage of the
situation and conflicts the Indonesian nation is
experiencing, most recently by building a new
political movement. This conflicts with [the state
ideology of] Pancasila and Islam, because of this it
must be resisted", he asserted.

Speaking separately with Antara News during a break
in the event, Gus Solah explained that it would be
best to invite Papernas to address the legal factors
because Indonesia is a constitutional state. "But,
the legal efforts shouldn’t be juridical in
character, rather a submission to the Constitutional
Court in the form of an appeal or judicial review",
explained the younger brother of former President
Abdurrahman Wahid(2).

Speaking in a similar vein, the deputy chairperson
of the goodwill committee, Arukat Djaswadi said that
they are urging the government to act immediately
against Papernas because it has violated the MPRS
Decree, Law Number 27/1999(3) on State Security, and
many other laws.

"Because of this, it is time for the government to
act firmly, because they are most clearly an embryo
of a communist [party], because they use the
principle of populist democracy, whereas if they
[want to] live in Indonesia they must use Pancasila
and the 1945 Constitution", he said.

The head of the Center for Indonesian Community
Studies (CICS) explained that Papernas cannot be
dealt with of by juridical means because Papernas
uses the ideology of logic, however Papernas has
clearly violated the “rules of the game” in
Indonesia and the government must be firm.

Similar comments were made by Kasdi. "The aroma of
the PKI inside Papernas is strong, including the
view that the 1945 [nationalist] revolution is
unfinished, the jargon of Tripanji(4) and the focus
on workers, farmers and the urban poor", he said.

Notes:

1. Tap MPRS XXXV/1996: MPRS Decree Number XXXV/1996
on the Dissolution of the Indonesian Communist Party
and Prohibitions on Marxist, Leninist and Communist
Teachings

2. Following the attack by the Islamic Defenders
Front (FPI) on Papernas in Jakarta on March 29 Wahid
publicly condemned the incident saying that it was
unconstitutional and if the government stays quiet
on the issue it will endanger the life of the
nation. He also called on police to act firmly
against the FPI. Wahid was scheduled to speak at a
Papernas declaration that had to be postponed
because of the attack.

3. Law No. 27/1999 is a revision to the Criminal
Code that codifies the MPRS Decree.

4. Tripanji - Papernas’ Three Banners of National
Unity: Abolishing the foreign debt, nationalising
the mining industry and building the national
industry for the welfare of the people.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

---

 FPI accuses Papernas of spreading communist ideology, undermining the state

Sinar Indonesia Baru - April 11, 2007

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 27/1999(1) 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 XXXV/1996 - MPRS Decree Number XXXV/1996
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.]

---

 Papernas postpones regional meeting to avoid clash with FPI

Liputan 6 - April 30, 2007

Sukoharjo — The National Liberation Party of Unity
(Papernas) continues to come under pressure. Again
and again the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) has
attempted to break up Papernas events. This time it
was a meeting to establish a regional leadership
board in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on Sunday April
29.

Without showing any hesitation, FPI members moved in
and tried to evict Papernas members who had arrived
at the Gajah Sukoharjo Building for the event.
Tensions rose between the two camps and police moved
in quickly before a clash could break out.

The two groups were then brought together for a
dialogue facilitated by Sukoharjo Regent Bambang
Riyanto. The FPI said it objected to Papernas
because it has a communist ideology that his banned
in Indonesia. In the end the Papernas members
decided to postpone the meeting because it could
potentially result in a brawl.

On March 29 Papernas demonstrators clashed with the
FPI in the Dukuh Atas area on Sudirman, Central
Jakarta. Several people were injured including two
children and a middle-ranking police officer from
the Tanah Abang sectoral police. (TOZ/Ferry Aditri)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

---

 Statement Regarding the attack on Papernas members

On Thursday 29 March 2007 at 11 am hundreds member of the Islamic defenders front (FPI), the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and other similar group made an attack on Papernas mass action in General Sudirman street while they were convoying towards hotel Shangri-la and to Tugu Proklamasi the area people’s gathering to demand the nationalization of the mining industry that is currently in the hands of foreign companies. At the site of the mass rally these same groups waited in order to disrupt the mass rally – in case the Papernas masses arrived at their destination.

The plan to hold the mass rally was postponed especially after the police stated that they were not able to guarantee the safety of the Papernas members as they marched to their destination or at the proclamation monument itself.

Several weeks before, PAPERNAS regional conference in Batu East Java East Java – which had already fulfilled all the legal requirements - experienced same kind of action by reactionary groups and as well as police ignorance . prior to this in September 2006 the declaration of the preparatory committee of PAPERNAS are threaten and repressed . . There was also an attack on the founding congress of the PAPERNAS on 18-20 Januari 2007 in Kaliurang, Jogjakarta.

At the same time, similar kinds of incidents occurred at seminars and discussion forums of several NGOs and other people’s organizations. The instigators of these reactionary actions have been from the same kinds of organizations including FAKI (Indonesian anti communist front), FPI Islamic defenders front and the Pancamarga Youth group.

We declare that these are a series of thugs actions did not occur spontaneously and in no way reflect the aspirations of ordinary people. In the past the New Order state systematically made various regulations as well as instruments of violence to impede and kill off the people’s political aspirations and movements. The issue of communism is the main weapon and scapegoat that is chosen to (disperse), repress and ban an organization. It is also used to frighten the people that until now have received miss information in relation to communism and Indonesian political history that was established by the New Order.

In the recent past this has been proven again, when the Attorney general Intelligence unit issued an instruction to withdraw school history books that were produced for the year 2004 school curriculum, giving the reason that the section on the historical tragedy of 1965 did not identify the PKI as the agents of the 30 September movement. Despite the fact that the results of various foreign and Indonesian scientific research conducted by various reliable historical research institutes state that there is no evidence that proves that the agents of the tragedy of 1965 were the PKI. There is in fact more historical evidence that indicates the involvement of Suharto as the primary agent in the tragedy of 1965.

Scientific research indicates that there was a mutually beneficial relationship between the politics of the New Order government and the emergence of the gangster organizations that attacked PAPERNAS. This is expressed in the results of the research of Ian Douglas Wilson, PhD, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia, tahun 2005 in his book “Reformasi: The Struggle for Power in Post-Soeharto Indonesia”, Kevin O’Rourke, tahun 2002.

They state that these groups act as the servants or assistants of the regime, using methods that have been proven to take the form of physical and psychological intimidation in carrying out their assignment to “maintain the regime” including intimidating and attacking critics of the government, organizing pro-government demonstrations and obtaining funding from “official” state criminal activities such as extortion / paid protection.
The people need to know this because up until now it turns out that the government still supports the politics of the New Order that systematically accuses organization A or B of being communists with the intention of blocking the development of people’s participation in politics.

This is also what has happened to PAPERNAS. We have been accused arbitrarily of being communists and our three banner program as smelling of communism. (Remember one of the reasons the police headquarters consistently stalled the process of providing permission for the PAPERNAS congress in Jogjakarta was because they asked us to delete the three banners from our program). Even thought it is clear that our program, in particular the three banners, has an anti-imperialist character that was born in order to provide an answer to the crisis that has descended upon Indonesia in this past time.

Consider these things that are stated below, that:

1. The government at this time of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) and their predecessors, together with the majority of the members of parliament serve the foreign imperialists, especially after the recent ratification of changes to the foreign investment laws along with many other pro imperialist policies.

2. PAPERNAS is the only political party that explicitly rejects the various forms of foreign imperialism. The mass rally that PAPERNAS wished to hold at the proclamation monument that also explicitly wished to go straight to the heart of the government’s policies and call on the people of Indonesia to nationalize the foreign controlled mining industry and reject the ratification of the new foreign investment laws.

3. The attack that was conscientiously carried out on PAPERNAS in order to stop the mass rally from taking place was carried out by a group of paid thugs.

4. The deliberate lack of seriousness on the part of the police in carrying out their responsibility in providing permission and security for PAPERNAS activities.

We conclude that all of these events, that have obstructed PAPERNAS’ activities both in Jakarta and in other regions, is a certain foreign imperialist scenario carried out by their agents in the puppet regime of SBY-JK. A scenario that clears the way for the imperialists in carrying out their colonization and exploitation of the Indonesian nation, including their natural resources, as well as to weaken the most advanced sections of the people’s movement that opposes imperialism. The reactionary groups that attacked us are only the extension of the hand of the puppet regime although we must continue to take action legally because the state is a constitutional state.

After concluding thus, we state that:

1. We will not surrender to intimidation and attacks that are made on us.

2. We will continue to struggle in accordance with the anti-foreign colonization perspectives that were adopted by our congress in Yogyakarta including the three banners of national unity as our primary program.

We also demand that the apparatus that must uphold the law in particular and the state in general must:

1. Take legal action against all cases of attacks that have been made against PAPERNAS, and also

2. Guarantee the full security and smooth running of all PAPERNAS events including in all branches in Indonesia in the future.

With this the entire PAPERNAS organization and their supporters wish that this will provide momentum to expand the enthusiasm for continuing the political work with the people and not as something that brings demoralization and fear. This condition proves that the program and political choice that we have taken are correct – it has been proven in producing a reaction from those parties that do not want the aspirations of freedom for the nation of Indonesia from the foreign colonialists to be realised. We must be brave!!

Jakarta, 29 March 2007

Enough of being a nation of coolies, rise up and be an independent nation!

Repudiation of foreign debt

Nationalise the mining Industry!

Build national Industry!

Jabo Priyono

Chairperson

Central committee Leadership

National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS)