Nivell Rayda & Markus Juanto Sihaloho – A coalition of minor political parties on Sunday threatened a class-action lawsuit against three of the country's oldest parties over their use of government land to house their offices.

"We will file a class-action suit with the Supreme Court. Right now we are assessing the cost to the state," Eki Sulistyo, chairman of Jakarta's Alumni Association, said after a meeting at Hotel Atlet Century Park on Sunday.

The three parties in question are the United Development Party (PPP), the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). All three were established after Suharto came to power in 1966, and were granted state property during the New Order era in Jakarta and other cities to be used as head offices and regional headquarters.

Although it has failed to win any seats in the House of Representatives for almost 10 years, the PDI is still considered active and took part in the 2009 elections. A PDI breakaway party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), is now one of the country's biggest political organizations.

The backers of the lawsuit have demanded that the three parties return the property to the state, alleging that they are in violation of the 2008 Election Law.

Sulistyo also said that several PDI-P chapters were occupying properties previously allocated to the PDI by the state. "We know the PDI-P is not occupying the old PDI headquarters on Jalan Dipenogoro [Central Jakarta], but some of its offices in other cities are [in old PDI offices]," he said.

PDI-P's national headquarters is now located in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

"The rules and regulations – as well as the political situation – have changed since the New Order and we ask the PPP, Golkar and the PDI-P to return the properties, unless other parties are granted the same privilege," Sulistyo said.

Golkar secretary Idrus Marham, who chairs the House of Representatives' special committee investigating the bailout of PT Bank Century, said his party "is ready to challenge any lawsuit. The properties were not on a lend-lease basis but were granted to Golkar," he said. "We still have the right to occupy these locations."

PDI-P lawmaker Tjahjo Kumolo said the threatened class action was "misplaced". "Please distinguish between the PDI-P and the old PDI. All of our facilities are owned and managed by PDI-P members," he said. "None of it belongs to the PDI."

PPP's deputy secretary general, Romy Romahurmuzy, said the properties were the legal assets of his party. He said those behind the class action should take up the their concerns with the government, which was responsible for the original decree.

"Rather than spending time on such a case, it would be better for [them] to find more productive work," he said.

"This has been launched amid political wrangling over the Century bailout case. We cannot, therefore, escape the conclusion that there are political interests at the root of this."

Sulistyo denied the class action was aimed at punishing parties that have been critical of the current administration, such as the PDI-P. He also said the timing of the threatened class-action lawsuit was not linked to Golkar and the PPP having ignored coalition ties by speaking out against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the House's pecial committee investigating the Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) government bailout of the former Bank Century.

The coalition behind the class action includes many of the minor political parties that endorsed Yudhoyono's re-election. None of the parties has a seat in the House.