[Marxism] Additional material on developments on the Left in Indonesia

[Max Lane]

For those following developments on the Left in Indonesia, there is an
interesting interview with Zely Ariane, spokesperson for the Political
Committee of the Poor - Peoples Democratic Party (KPRM-PRD) on the KPRM-PRD
blog at http://kprm-peoples-democratic-party.blogspot.com/

*2007 saw an unprecedented split in Indonesia's most well known radical
party – the People's Democratic Party (PRD). The split spans the PRD from
top to bottom. The following interview is with Zely Ariane – the
spokesperson for The Political Committee of The Poor - People's Democratic
Party (KPRM-PRD), conducted by Theresia Dian Septi Trisnanti .*

*1. When was the KPRM-PRD formed?*
Zely Ariane: KPRM was formed in November 2007 as the result of a
consolidation of PRD members from ten provinces that reject the coalition
politics [currently being pursued by the PRD-Papernas leadership] and are
ready to struggle to build a political alternative of the poor. The KPRM-PRD
held its public declaration on the 31 January, 2008 in Jakarta.

*2. Where are its main bases? What is the KPRM-PRD's main program of
activities now and into the near future?*
*
*Zely Ariane: Our strongest bases are in Jogjakarta, Jakarta, North Sumatra,
East Java and Kalimantan Timor. The original basis for the split in the PRD
was that the majority of the PRD leadership could not tolerate a difference
of opinion, or opinions rejecting the coalition tactic in the 2009
elections.

Our primary activity at the moment is to struggle for a politics of the poor
that is neither co-opted nor co-operative with the remnants of the old
regime (Suharto's New Order) such as the military, the pro neo-liberal
government and the fake reformists. We are concentrating at the moment on
consolidating a new political mass organisation that will unite like minded
political groups and individuals from PRD, Papernas and some other mass
organisations. This new organ will soon be formed in order to struggle for a
politics of the poor and to push towards completion of the national
democratic revolution in Indonesia.

We can not let go of the political wreckage that exists in PRD at the
moment. We are especially focused on relating to the mass bases who mostly
do not understand and have not been involved in the party's political
decisions. As an example, the decision to support the Democratic Renewal
Party (PDP) was taken in secret and is unknown by the party's mass base
because the internal situation in the PRD, Papernas and even the mass
organisations has become increasingly difficult for campaigning - room for
debate has been completely closed. So to win back these organisations
requires an external pressure. That is the reason we plan to form a new
political mass organisation that at the same time can function as our
political identity.

We are forging unity of left democratic groups and a women's liberation
groupings from the democratic left spectrum – to become the vanguard in
developing the feminist movement. We are establishing the frameworks and
making lively efforts to mark International Women's Day and also unifying
efforts to create a Venezuela Solidarity Group.
FOR MORE SEE http://kprm-peoples-democratic-party.blogspot.com/