Jakarta – The New Indonesia Alliance (PIB) Party aims to participate in the 2009 elections, whether in a coalition or independently, with calls for the non-voting and apathetic communities to participate and establish a transparent elections system.

"Non-voting should not happen as it will only benefit bigger parties (in the election)," Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir, the party's new chairperson, said Monday. "PIB aims to reach the minimum electoral threshold as it failed to reach it in the 2004 election."

Kartini replaces her husband Syahrir, who quit his party post after being appointed in March this year to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Advisory Council.

The party's secretary general, Basuki T. Purnama, said that if the party gained enough seats, it would push for independent candidates to enter the election. "People with good intentions, transparent, but have limited funds should have the chance to run, not only those incumbent officials and the 'haves'".

New PIB council members include senior journalists Sabam Siagian and Fikri Jufri and former ambassador to Australia Wiryono Sastrohandoyo.