Alfian and Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Local parties are good for democracy and provide a vehicle to accommodate regional political aspirations – but their existence has been hampered, activists said Thursday.
In a discussion called "Local political parties, why are they rejected?" deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (Demos) Anton Pradjasto said local parties could minimize the gap between parties and their constituents.
"Through local parties, local aspirations could be represented (more clearly) and more explicitly," Anton said. The implementation of local parties would also see the public enjoy more control over their political representatives, he said.
National parties had yet to solve the country's problems because they failed to represent the public's rights in politics and socio-economics fields.
Anton also said there was a trust factor lacking with national parties. "Our survey in Aceh during the regional election showed that 80 percent of respondents chose local parties to channel their aspirations."
Although the current political system had local elections, these did not always see local aspirations realized, Anton said. "Our survey in Sergei, North Sumatra, East Belitung and East Nusa Tenggara found regional elections resulted in money politics practices."
He said the emergence of local parties would not necessarily harm the nation's unity but that human right's violations across the nation would.
Rusdi Marpaung of the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor said he agreed with Anton and that local parties were beneficial for democracy.
"Local parties strengthen the recognition of political freedom guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution," Rusdi said.
"The Constitution does not forbid local parties. The idea of local parties is not totally strange in Indonesia. We already did it in the 1955 general election."
Separately, the Alliance of Political Parties for Justice gathered Thursday to declare its standpoint regarding the bills on political parties and general elections currently being deliberated by the House.
The parties demanded the revision of the bills should accommodate their aspirations and avoid discrimination against minor parties.
"The bill, if revised, should be based on good democratic principles, which are accountable, equal, open and effective," Sys NS, chairman of new party NKRI, said in the declaration.
The alliance comprises 26 new parties as well as older ones, which failed to meet the electoral threshold in the 2004 elections.
The alliance opposes a 5 percent electoral threshold proposed by major factions at the House, saying it was too high and could stop small parties from entering the 2009 polls.
Major factions defended the threshold and said it was necessary to achieve a simple multi-party system they claimed could form an effective government.
Chairman of the Hanura Party, Gen. (ret.) Wiranto, said it was possible the alliance could form a coalition in the future.
"Today, this alliance is only a forum to share our views and we just want to take rational political steps and strive to take part in the upcoming election," he said. "But in the future, it (would be) possible for us to establish a new coalition."