New political parties ask House not to thwart them

A number of new political parties have asked the House of Representatives (DPR) to refrain from creating too many restrictions for them in a new law on political parties.

Representatives of 15 new political parties conveyed the message through the House`s Special Committee on the Draft Laws on Political Parties and the Status and Position of Legislators at a meeting here Thursday.

They all said there was a tendency among the existing big political parties in the country to thwart the establishment of new poltical parties although forming political parties was the right of every citizen.

The new plitical party delegates said they had come to the House to convey their view that the idea of reducing the number of plitical parties in the country was "unjust".

They also said they did not agree with the notion that the existence of many political parties was the cause of political instability.

The 15 new political parties included the Nation`s Sun Party, the Star and Moon Party, the New Democratic Party, the Indonesian Prosperous Party, the Prosperous Peace Bringing Party, the People`s Conscience Party, the Nusantara Parade Party , the Indonesian Independence Party.

Imam Addaruqutni, a leading member of the Nation`s Sun Party, said at the meeting the govenment`s draft law on political parties contained many "oddities".

He said a law on political parties ought not to be drawn up by the government but by the politcians themselves.

The government`s draft law held many clauses limiting the possibility of forming political parties."Many provisions in the draft law put unndue emphazis on procedural requirements but actually threaten democracy," he said.

There was also not enough transparency in discussions on the draft law as political party leaderships and non-governmental organizations were never invited to take part in House hearings on the bill, Imam said.