Muchtar Pakpahan, chair of the SBSI, the Indonesian Prosperity Labour Union has plans to set up a National Workers Party to take on board the political aspirations of workers throughout Indonesia. He has asked Megawati Sukarnoputri to head this party.

He talked about these plans during a meeting with workers and students at the Command Unit of the Surakarta Students Reform Council. He told reporters in reply ro questions that he had not "fled" from the security forces in Jakarta, to avoid being at the protest rally planned in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"I was actually on my way to Surabaya but I got held back by people in Solo who were very eager for me to speak here," he said. He stressed that he was personally responsible for workers actions throughout the country.

He said his plans to set up a party had already won wide support from workers, business people, intellectuals, NGOs and other organisations. It comes from groups that were victimised under the old regime, from the NU, Kosgoro, PUDI, the legal aid institute, WALHI and others.

He had also had consultations with Megawati and had offered her the chirmanship. He foresaw that Megawati would become Indonesia's fourth president. But this would be impossible as long as people like General Feisal Tanjung, who had caused problems for Megawati's PDI were still sitting in the cabinet.

[According to a June 28 by Kompas, the head of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Abdurrahman Wahid, has supported a request by 15 regional chapters to setup a party under NU. Personally, he said he preferred a nationalist party be established outside of NU which may in the future, link up with Megawati's PDI. A report in the June 23 Jakarta Post said that the new party would be called the "Community Awakening Party" and would be declared on August 17 (independence day) - James Balowski.].