157: The Petition of Thirty Five
4th February 2002:
At the Presidential Palace today, President Try Sutrisno today swore in the following:
*Ir. Indra Bambang Utoyo as Minister of Transmigration
*Ir. Cacuk Sudarijanto as State Minister of State-Owned Enterprises
*H. Rusnain Yahya as State Minister of Development of Eastern Indonesia and Special Economic Zones
*Ir. HM. Ridwan Hisjam as State Minister of Urban Development
*Ir. Al Hilal Hamdi as State Minister of Research and Technology
*Dr. Ir. Bambang Subianto as Junior Minister of Finance
*Ir. Tadjuddin Noer Said as Junior Minister of Cooperatives
He also swore in the following:
*Lt. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto as Head of the BNPP
*Herwidayatmo SE., MBA as Head of the IBRA
*Drs. Jusuf Kalla as Ambassador to Japan
*Lt. Gen. Johnny Lumintang as Ambassador to the Philippines
At a DPR Hearing, Chairman of the KPU HBL Mantiri reported on election preparations but came under questioning by DPR Member Fadli Zon (PKPB) about the “legality” of the President’s recent “political maneuvers”. Mantiri said that unless the President has decided to intervene, openly or otherwise, with the way the KPU is run to help one of the 4 political parties to win, he could not point to any illegality. When Fadli asked whether there was an advantage in being an incumbent, Mantiri said it was a matter for political scientists.
5th February 2002:
Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad and Junior Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto came out of a meeting with the President. Mar’ie said that the job description of the junior minister’s position has been changed from non-fiscal matters falling within the purview of the Department of Finance to coordinating and maximizing revenue collection whether it is tax revenue, non-tax revenue, duties, and excise. Bambang said that the President has a great ambition for this nation and that it’s his job to collect the necessary revenue for the President to achieve his goals.
Speaking at a PKPI DPR Candidates’ Training Camp in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, Chairwoman of the PKPB Tutut Soeharto said that the President, the government, and the PKPI has their backs to the wall and nothing changes that.
6th February 2002:
The President accompanied by Minister of Religion Quraish Shihab today visited Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to inspect those who were departing for Mecca for the Hajj. After shaking hands and talking with pilgrims, the President and Quraish went into a VIP room where they were joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of Mining and Energy Djiteng Marsudi, and Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo.
Ginandjar produced a letter from Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Saud bin Faisal. The letter was an official written complaint from the Saudi Government saying that so long as the Indonesian government “does not shift its stance on the LIPIA”, the Saudi Government could not allow work on Exor II to continue.
Ari Sudewo said that the monitoring and gathering of intelligence on LIPIA will not cease and the government could not compromise on that. Ginandjar however said that Indonesia needs something to offer to the Saudis as a compromise otherwise work will not continue on Exor II. Quraish advised that whatever the government tries to do, it should not do it during Hajj pilgrimage season when a lot of Indonesians are over in Saudi Arabia.
The meeting came to a dead end with the President asking Djiteng to make sure that Exor III and Exor IV are still in progress.
7th February 2002:
The President met today with Vice President JB Sumarlin, Minister of Economics and National Development Planning Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Mar’ie Muhammad, Governor of BI Boediono, State Secretary Edi Sudrajat, and Cabinet Secretary Hayono Isman. The following were discussed:
*Dorodjatun reported that that the United States economy is showing signs the recovery from the 2001 recession. That said, the European Union and Canada will still experiencing the aftereffects of the recession throughout the first months of 2002. Japan is also still in recession, a combination of the effects of the United States going through recession and Prime Minister Koichi Kato’s structural reforms. The exchange rate as of today is $1= Rp. 3,827.
The President asked what would be the effects on the Indonesian economy. Sumarlin said that at the moment things are quite secure from an economic standpoint saying that whatever investments from Western Europe were secured prior to the recession taking effect last year so that there is no question of foreign investors wanting to delay setting up its operations so the prospect is “quite promising” for 2002. Boediono said that inflation is under control and that the fuel prices were adjusted at the right moment.
*Mar’ie said that fiscally Indonesia was in a good position. A combination of internal reforms in the Directorate General of Taxation, improved collection, and good economic conditions had contributed to the increased amount of taxpayers the President cited in the Draft Budget speech a few weeks ago. This strong position wil be further bolstered at the start of the next financial year when the 10 year moratorium on debt payments takes effect.
*Boediono reported that the first credit applications from the priority sectors as listed in the January 2002 Policy Package have begun to flow in. The President instructed Boediono that the state banks must make sure the creditworthiness of all those applying to borrow money under this program as well as making sure that the credit is paid back in due course. The President also asked Boediono that the state banks must also ensure that it is still within its capacity through these loans. That some sectors are designated as a priority does not mean a free-for-all.
8th February 2002:
Departing early in the morning from Jakarta, the President arrived at the edge of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road for a ceremony. There, accompanied by Minister of Public Works Rachmat Witoelar and Governor of West Java Muzani Syukur, the President inaugurated:
*Cikopo-Palimanan Toll Road
*Kanci-Pejagan Toll Road
Speaking to the press gathered there, Rachmat highlighted the fact that Cikopo-Palimanan is a long stretch of Toll Road, some 116 KM in length. He explained that as far as the Trans-Java Toll Road was concerned, the West Java portion of the Trans-Java is nearly completed, some of the Central Java portion is completed, and work continues in East Java to complete the first stretch of the Trans-Java Toll Road located there.
9th February 2002:
At a meeting of ICMI’s National Leadership Council, Chairman of ICMI Nurcholish Madjid announced that he had gotten the signatures of 35 organizations, including ICMI, on his petition declaring that these organizations will be neutral in the coming political contests and asking the government to acknowledge this neutrality. Nurcholish said that he will be taking this petition to the President in the next few days.
11th February 2002:
Minister of Forestry and Environment Barnabas Suebu and Head of BKPM Mari Pangestu held a joint press conference. Barnabas reminded all holders of forest concessions that their deadline for ensuring that their concessions comply with the rules will be 31st July 2002. After that their concessions will be revoked and will be taken over by the state-owned forestry enterprise, Perhutani. Mari said that owing to the combined size of the concessions, the BKPM will allow domestic and/or foreign and domestic joint venture to then take over these concessions from the Perhutani.
When asked if there have been improvements in regulatory compliance, Barnabas smiled and said yes. Some illegal sawmills have closed down or have applied for permits so that it can become legal. Much however is still left to be desired from some of the “big names”.
The President and Minister of Education Fakry Gaffar dropped in at Jakarta State University (UNJ) and visited a lecture for students who will be earning degrees in early childhood education. Speaking to the press afterwards, Fakry said that the government is serious about including kindergarten as part of what constitutes primary education and that starting from the next school year there will be a noticeable expansion in the availability of kindergarten places and the opportunity for parents to have their children attend kindergarten.
12th February 2002:
Nurcholish Madjid, accompanied by Chairman of the Indonesian Cooperatives Council (Dekopin) Sri Edi Swasono, Chairman of the PHRI Jakob Oetama, Chairman of the Indonesian Young Businessmen Association (HIPMI) Bambang Hariyadi Sukamdani, and Chairman of the FKPPI Bambang Wiyogo, today visited the Presidential Palace.
The President was flanked by Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas and Edi Sudrajat on one side of the table as Nurcholish explained the situation from the other side. Nurcholish acknowledges the progress that has been made in all aspects of life as a nation and feels that the nation has taken a step forward by where it is unlikely that Indonesia will ever again have a sole presidential candidate.
At the same time, the “intensity of the contest ahead” must not be such that the nation’s various organizations are torn apart because individuals within them are throwing their support behind the President or Tutut Soeharto or Megawati Soekarnoputri. It is not healthy considering these organizations must be able to work with the government regardless of the results of the 2002 Elections and the 2003 MPR Session. Individuals, including those belonging to organizations, can throw their support behind the PKPI, the PKPB, the PPP, and the PNI but these organizations must retain their non-partisanship.
Accordingly, Nurcholish said, he has taken it upon himself to go around and ask for the leaders of the organizations affix their signatures on a petition declaring their organizations to be neutral in the 2002 Elections and the 2003 MPR Session and calling for that neutrality to be acknowledged by the government. Nurcholish said that the petition has not been signed by all organizations which exists in Indonesia but enough major organizations has signed on for it
Nurcholish took the petition from his folder and handed it to the President who studied it.
“Cak Nur, first of all I just to thank you for this and your other contributions to public life” he said “And I do acknowledge that as we go into a partisan period in our political cycle there are those who would like to choose not to take sides.”
There was a pause as the President looked at the list of the organizations which have signed the petition.
“I know that there are organizations that want to avoid being torn apart and there are those who just genuinely don’t want to take sides, but you do realize there are some on here that are just being opportunistic, right?” asked the President.
“I don’t deny that”, said Nurcholish “It’s just the case that in this case I am prioritizing those who would like to not take sides over their motives, whatever those motives may be.”
The President studied Nurcholish’s face and for a few seconds there were tension in the room, the tension only subsided when the President told Nurcholish that he accepted the latter’s point. Much to the relief of Nurcholish the President moved on to asking that the organizations which have signed the petition commit themselves to making sure that neutrality does not mean that they do not vote.
“Even if you don’t want to openly take sides, I would ask that you still vote and encourage others to vote as well”, the President said to Nurcholish “It would do damage to your cause if a result of this petition, people become encouraged to not vote and join the Golput”.
“Of course, Mr. President”, replied Nurcholish “I myself individually will still vote, will those who are members of the organizations who signed the petitions. It’s the organizations that are remaining neutral, the individuals in it will still be part of the political process though it wil be up to them if they want to declare their political stance openly or not.”
“Very well, then”, said the President “I hope you will be making that clear.”
The meeting ended very cordially and even the President could be seen joking around with his guests. When the meeting broke up and the President was out of sight, however, Nurcholish complained to the others about how he knew that the President was going to suspect him of encouraging people not to vote under the guise of “not taking sides”.
When Nurcholish and his fellow petitioners exited the Presidential Palace, they found that the press were asking them whether they were encouraging people to not to vote and they had to once again explain their position. They were also finding that the press was already nicknaming them The Petition of Thirty Five because there were 35 organizations which had signed on to the petition.
13th February 2002:
For the first time since 1967, Chinese New Year is celebrated openly in Indonesia. Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman Wahid wrote an open letter which was published in the nation’s most prominent newspapers saying that while others may have their own reasons for supporting the President, his reason for continuing to support President Try is because he has shown himself to be a president for both the majority and the minority.
14th February 2002:
In a morning press conference at her residence, Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri said that she welcomed the Petition of 35 because in the current political situation and with a more sophisticated populace, it simply would not do for everything to be mobilized in favor of the ruling party. Elections will now be won or lost on the basis of which party can make the argument that they best represent the people.
When asked about the absence of NU and Muhammadiyah as well as the Indonesian Forestry Businessmen Association (APHI) and the Indonesian Panelwood Association (APKINDO) from the petition's signatories, Megawati said that this was to be expected. The NU and Muhammadiyah, along with others had openly thrown in their lot with the President whilst APHI and APKINDO, on the basis of their association with Bob Hasan, had thrown in their lot with Tutut Soeharto.
“The organization whose stance I am most curious in as we get closer to the election is ABRI”, said Megawati “It is too big and major of an organization in this country to not state clearly and plainly where they will stand at the next election. Whose side are they on? The people of Indonesia want to know.”
15th February 2002:
At the Presidential Palace, after a meeting with the President, Harsudiono Hartas held a press conference. He read out a statement on behalf of the President expressing his understanding if individuals and/or organizations feel that they do not want to take part in the partisanship of an election campaign but asks that when election day arrives, all those wishing to remain neutral will use their voting rights. The President also asks that no individuals be penalized by organizations if they would like to openly take sides.
A foreign journalist asked if the President could have taken a stronger stand against the Petition of 35.
“I think it’s not about a strong stand or a weak stand”, said Harsudiono “But I want to give you some food for thought.
The last time a group people sent a petition to an Indonesian President they ended up being unable to borrow money from a bank and not being able to leave the country, so far the Government had not made any statement that would indicate it’s not happy with the petitioners, the only statement so far is the one I read just now.
What about other presidential candidates? There’s definitely going to be more than one at the MPR Session next year.
As far the election goes, we’re 3 months out and so far what have we seen, the PKPB gaining ground on the PKPI. Yes, I said it, let’s be blunt about it…”
“What about Ibu Megawati’s comments yesterday about wanting to know where ABRI will stand in the election?” asked another member of the press.
“That’s a matter for ABRI which is beyond my jurisdiction” said Harsudiono “ABRI will answer for itself.”
After some more waiting, ABRI gave a clue that it will answer for itself. Commander of ABRI Wiranto arrived for a meeting for the President and came out half an hour later. He was immediately asked about what he thought of Megawati’s comments.
“I’ll take it as input”, said Wiranto “I’m just inside to discuss the agenda of the ABRI Leadership Meeting next week with the President for which he has given approval.”
“Will ABRI’s stance at the election be discussed?” asked a member of the press.
“Well we’ll be discussing the election and many other things”, replied Wiranto.
---
Regarding the organizations that have declared themselves neutral here, I’ve just gone with some of the most prominent because after a while it was getting to the Dentists’ Association, Veterinarian’s Association etc. however there are some missing deliberately because they have chosen to “take sides”.
The general theme is that for these organizations, it’s something of a new territory because for 3 decades they had been directed to support Golkar during the elections. But now Golkar doesn’t exist and whether because they genuinely want to be neutral, avoid their organization being torn apart, or they want to be opportunistic, they’ve signed on to this petition.
The nickname of Petition of Thirty Five parallels the Petition of Fifty, an OTL petition handed to Soeharto in 1980 asking him to, among other things, stop equating himself with the national ideology of Pancasila and stop pushing ABRI to take the side of the government. Soeharto did not respond well to it and essentially made life hard for the signatories of the petition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition_of_Fifty
Golput stands for Golongan Putih (White Group) and it’s a movement consisting of people who don’t want to vote. The name Golput is this group’s way of thumbing its nose at Golkar, the Soeharto Regime’s ruling party.
Ibu means Madam or mother.
At the Presidential Palace today, President Try Sutrisno today swore in the following:
*Ir. Indra Bambang Utoyo as Minister of Transmigration
*Ir. Cacuk Sudarijanto as State Minister of State-Owned Enterprises
*H. Rusnain Yahya as State Minister of Development of Eastern Indonesia and Special Economic Zones
*Ir. HM. Ridwan Hisjam as State Minister of Urban Development
*Ir. Al Hilal Hamdi as State Minister of Research and Technology
*Dr. Ir. Bambang Subianto as Junior Minister of Finance
*Ir. Tadjuddin Noer Said as Junior Minister of Cooperatives
He also swore in the following:
*Lt. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto as Head of the BNPP
*Herwidayatmo SE., MBA as Head of the IBRA
*Drs. Jusuf Kalla as Ambassador to Japan
*Lt. Gen. Johnny Lumintang as Ambassador to the Philippines
At a DPR Hearing, Chairman of the KPU HBL Mantiri reported on election preparations but came under questioning by DPR Member Fadli Zon (PKPB) about the “legality” of the President’s recent “political maneuvers”. Mantiri said that unless the President has decided to intervene, openly or otherwise, with the way the KPU is run to help one of the 4 political parties to win, he could not point to any illegality. When Fadli asked whether there was an advantage in being an incumbent, Mantiri said it was a matter for political scientists.
5th February 2002:
Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad and Junior Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto came out of a meeting with the President. Mar’ie said that the job description of the junior minister’s position has been changed from non-fiscal matters falling within the purview of the Department of Finance to coordinating and maximizing revenue collection whether it is tax revenue, non-tax revenue, duties, and excise. Bambang said that the President has a great ambition for this nation and that it’s his job to collect the necessary revenue for the President to achieve his goals.
Speaking at a PKPI DPR Candidates’ Training Camp in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, Chairwoman of the PKPB Tutut Soeharto said that the President, the government, and the PKPI has their backs to the wall and nothing changes that.
6th February 2002:
The President accompanied by Minister of Religion Quraish Shihab today visited Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to inspect those who were departing for Mecca for the Hajj. After shaking hands and talking with pilgrims, the President and Quraish went into a VIP room where they were joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of Mining and Energy Djiteng Marsudi, and Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo.
Ginandjar produced a letter from Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Saud bin Faisal. The letter was an official written complaint from the Saudi Government saying that so long as the Indonesian government “does not shift its stance on the LIPIA”, the Saudi Government could not allow work on Exor II to continue.
Ari Sudewo said that the monitoring and gathering of intelligence on LIPIA will not cease and the government could not compromise on that. Ginandjar however said that Indonesia needs something to offer to the Saudis as a compromise otherwise work will not continue on Exor II. Quraish advised that whatever the government tries to do, it should not do it during Hajj pilgrimage season when a lot of Indonesians are over in Saudi Arabia.
The meeting came to a dead end with the President asking Djiteng to make sure that Exor III and Exor IV are still in progress.
7th February 2002:
The President met today with Vice President JB Sumarlin, Minister of Economics and National Development Planning Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Mar’ie Muhammad, Governor of BI Boediono, State Secretary Edi Sudrajat, and Cabinet Secretary Hayono Isman. The following were discussed:
*Dorodjatun reported that that the United States economy is showing signs the recovery from the 2001 recession. That said, the European Union and Canada will still experiencing the aftereffects of the recession throughout the first months of 2002. Japan is also still in recession, a combination of the effects of the United States going through recession and Prime Minister Koichi Kato’s structural reforms. The exchange rate as of today is $1= Rp. 3,827.
The President asked what would be the effects on the Indonesian economy. Sumarlin said that at the moment things are quite secure from an economic standpoint saying that whatever investments from Western Europe were secured prior to the recession taking effect last year so that there is no question of foreign investors wanting to delay setting up its operations so the prospect is “quite promising” for 2002. Boediono said that inflation is under control and that the fuel prices were adjusted at the right moment.
*Mar’ie said that fiscally Indonesia was in a good position. A combination of internal reforms in the Directorate General of Taxation, improved collection, and good economic conditions had contributed to the increased amount of taxpayers the President cited in the Draft Budget speech a few weeks ago. This strong position wil be further bolstered at the start of the next financial year when the 10 year moratorium on debt payments takes effect.
*Boediono reported that the first credit applications from the priority sectors as listed in the January 2002 Policy Package have begun to flow in. The President instructed Boediono that the state banks must make sure the creditworthiness of all those applying to borrow money under this program as well as making sure that the credit is paid back in due course. The President also asked Boediono that the state banks must also ensure that it is still within its capacity through these loans. That some sectors are designated as a priority does not mean a free-for-all.
8th February 2002:
Departing early in the morning from Jakarta, the President arrived at the edge of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road for a ceremony. There, accompanied by Minister of Public Works Rachmat Witoelar and Governor of West Java Muzani Syukur, the President inaugurated:
*Cikopo-Palimanan Toll Road
*Kanci-Pejagan Toll Road
Speaking to the press gathered there, Rachmat highlighted the fact that Cikopo-Palimanan is a long stretch of Toll Road, some 116 KM in length. He explained that as far as the Trans-Java Toll Road was concerned, the West Java portion of the Trans-Java is nearly completed, some of the Central Java portion is completed, and work continues in East Java to complete the first stretch of the Trans-Java Toll Road located there.
9th February 2002:
At a meeting of ICMI’s National Leadership Council, Chairman of ICMI Nurcholish Madjid announced that he had gotten the signatures of 35 organizations, including ICMI, on his petition declaring that these organizations will be neutral in the coming political contests and asking the government to acknowledge this neutrality. Nurcholish said that he will be taking this petition to the President in the next few days.
11th February 2002:
Minister of Forestry and Environment Barnabas Suebu and Head of BKPM Mari Pangestu held a joint press conference. Barnabas reminded all holders of forest concessions that their deadline for ensuring that their concessions comply with the rules will be 31st July 2002. After that their concessions will be revoked and will be taken over by the state-owned forestry enterprise, Perhutani. Mari said that owing to the combined size of the concessions, the BKPM will allow domestic and/or foreign and domestic joint venture to then take over these concessions from the Perhutani.
When asked if there have been improvements in regulatory compliance, Barnabas smiled and said yes. Some illegal sawmills have closed down or have applied for permits so that it can become legal. Much however is still left to be desired from some of the “big names”.
The President and Minister of Education Fakry Gaffar dropped in at Jakarta State University (UNJ) and visited a lecture for students who will be earning degrees in early childhood education. Speaking to the press afterwards, Fakry said that the government is serious about including kindergarten as part of what constitutes primary education and that starting from the next school year there will be a noticeable expansion in the availability of kindergarten places and the opportunity for parents to have their children attend kindergarten.
12th February 2002:
Nurcholish Madjid, accompanied by Chairman of the Indonesian Cooperatives Council (Dekopin) Sri Edi Swasono, Chairman of the PHRI Jakob Oetama, Chairman of the Indonesian Young Businessmen Association (HIPMI) Bambang Hariyadi Sukamdani, and Chairman of the FKPPI Bambang Wiyogo, today visited the Presidential Palace.
The President was flanked by Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas and Edi Sudrajat on one side of the table as Nurcholish explained the situation from the other side. Nurcholish acknowledges the progress that has been made in all aspects of life as a nation and feels that the nation has taken a step forward by where it is unlikely that Indonesia will ever again have a sole presidential candidate.
At the same time, the “intensity of the contest ahead” must not be such that the nation’s various organizations are torn apart because individuals within them are throwing their support behind the President or Tutut Soeharto or Megawati Soekarnoputri. It is not healthy considering these organizations must be able to work with the government regardless of the results of the 2002 Elections and the 2003 MPR Session. Individuals, including those belonging to organizations, can throw their support behind the PKPI, the PKPB, the PPP, and the PNI but these organizations must retain their non-partisanship.
Accordingly, Nurcholish said, he has taken it upon himself to go around and ask for the leaders of the organizations affix their signatures on a petition declaring their organizations to be neutral in the 2002 Elections and the 2003 MPR Session and calling for that neutrality to be acknowledged by the government. Nurcholish said that the petition has not been signed by all organizations which exists in Indonesia but enough major organizations has signed on for it
Nurcholish took the petition from his folder and handed it to the President who studied it.
“Cak Nur, first of all I just to thank you for this and your other contributions to public life” he said “And I do acknowledge that as we go into a partisan period in our political cycle there are those who would like to choose not to take sides.”
There was a pause as the President looked at the list of the organizations which have signed the petition.
*The Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI)
*The Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association (HKTI)
*The All-Indonesian Fishermens’ Association (HNSI)
*The Republic of Indonesia Teachers’ Association (PGRI)
*The All-Indonesian Workers’ Union (SPSI)
*The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)
*The Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kowani)
*The Indonesian Youths’ National Congress (KNPI)
*The Republic of Indonesia Civil Servants Corps (Korpri)
*The Indonesian Journalists’ Association (PWI)
*The Indonesian Cooperatives Council (Dekopin)
*The Indonesian Young Businessmen Association (Hipmi)
*The Indonesian Sons and Daughters of Retired Officers Communication Forum (FKPPI)
*The Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI)
*The Veterans’ Legion of the Republic of Indonesia (LVRI)
*The Press Enterprises Association (SPS)
*The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)
*The Alliance of Churches in Indonesia (PGI)
*The Indonesian Bishops Council (KWI)
*The Representatives of Indonesian Buddhists (Walubi)
*The Indonesian Dharma Hindu Association (PHDI)
*The Indonesian Confucianism High Council (Matakin)
*The Islamic Students’ Association (HMI)
*The Islamic Students’ Association Alumni Corps (KAHMI)
*The Indonesian Engineers’ Association (PII)
*The Indonesian Doctors’ Association (IDI)
*The Indonesian Petroleum Association
*The Indonesian Exporters Businesses Association (GPEI)
*The All-Indonesian National Importers Association (GINSI)
*The All-Indonesian National Construction Contractors Association (Gapensi)
*The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)
*The Indonesian Scouts’ Movement
*The Indonesian Advocates’ Association (IKADIN)
*The Indonesian Film Artists’ Association (PARFI)
*The Indonesian National Private Radio Broadcasters’ Association (PRSSNI)
*The Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association (HKTI)
*The All-Indonesian Fishermens’ Association (HNSI)
*The Republic of Indonesia Teachers’ Association (PGRI)
*The All-Indonesian Workers’ Union (SPSI)
*The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)
*The Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kowani)
*The Indonesian Youths’ National Congress (KNPI)
*The Republic of Indonesia Civil Servants Corps (Korpri)
*The Indonesian Journalists’ Association (PWI)
*The Indonesian Cooperatives Council (Dekopin)
*The Indonesian Young Businessmen Association (Hipmi)
*The Indonesian Sons and Daughters of Retired Officers Communication Forum (FKPPI)
*The Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI)
*The Veterans’ Legion of the Republic of Indonesia (LVRI)
*The Press Enterprises Association (SPS)
*The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)
*The Alliance of Churches in Indonesia (PGI)
*The Indonesian Bishops Council (KWI)
*The Representatives of Indonesian Buddhists (Walubi)
*The Indonesian Dharma Hindu Association (PHDI)
*The Indonesian Confucianism High Council (Matakin)
*The Islamic Students’ Association (HMI)
*The Islamic Students’ Association Alumni Corps (KAHMI)
*The Indonesian Engineers’ Association (PII)
*The Indonesian Doctors’ Association (IDI)
*The Indonesian Petroleum Association
*The Indonesian Exporters Businesses Association (GPEI)
*The All-Indonesian National Importers Association (GINSI)
*The All-Indonesian National Construction Contractors Association (Gapensi)
*The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)
*The Indonesian Scouts’ Movement
*The Indonesian Advocates’ Association (IKADIN)
*The Indonesian Film Artists’ Association (PARFI)
*The Indonesian National Private Radio Broadcasters’ Association (PRSSNI)
“I know that there are organizations that want to avoid being torn apart and there are those who just genuinely don’t want to take sides, but you do realize there are some on here that are just being opportunistic, right?” asked the President.
“I don’t deny that”, said Nurcholish “It’s just the case that in this case I am prioritizing those who would like to not take sides over their motives, whatever those motives may be.”
The President studied Nurcholish’s face and for a few seconds there were tension in the room, the tension only subsided when the President told Nurcholish that he accepted the latter’s point. Much to the relief of Nurcholish the President moved on to asking that the organizations which have signed the petition commit themselves to making sure that neutrality does not mean that they do not vote.
“Even if you don’t want to openly take sides, I would ask that you still vote and encourage others to vote as well”, the President said to Nurcholish “It would do damage to your cause if a result of this petition, people become encouraged to not vote and join the Golput”.
“Of course, Mr. President”, replied Nurcholish “I myself individually will still vote, will those who are members of the organizations who signed the petitions. It’s the organizations that are remaining neutral, the individuals in it will still be part of the political process though it wil be up to them if they want to declare their political stance openly or not.”
“Very well, then”, said the President “I hope you will be making that clear.”
The meeting ended very cordially and even the President could be seen joking around with his guests. When the meeting broke up and the President was out of sight, however, Nurcholish complained to the others about how he knew that the President was going to suspect him of encouraging people not to vote under the guise of “not taking sides”.
When Nurcholish and his fellow petitioners exited the Presidential Palace, they found that the press were asking them whether they were encouraging people to not to vote and they had to once again explain their position. They were also finding that the press was already nicknaming them The Petition of Thirty Five because there were 35 organizations which had signed on to the petition.
13th February 2002:
For the first time since 1967, Chinese New Year is celebrated openly in Indonesia. Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman Wahid wrote an open letter which was published in the nation’s most prominent newspapers saying that while others may have their own reasons for supporting the President, his reason for continuing to support President Try is because he has shown himself to be a president for both the majority and the minority.
14th February 2002:
In a morning press conference at her residence, Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri said that she welcomed the Petition of 35 because in the current political situation and with a more sophisticated populace, it simply would not do for everything to be mobilized in favor of the ruling party. Elections will now be won or lost on the basis of which party can make the argument that they best represent the people.
When asked about the absence of NU and Muhammadiyah as well as the Indonesian Forestry Businessmen Association (APHI) and the Indonesian Panelwood Association (APKINDO) from the petition's signatories, Megawati said that this was to be expected. The NU and Muhammadiyah, along with others had openly thrown in their lot with the President whilst APHI and APKINDO, on the basis of their association with Bob Hasan, had thrown in their lot with Tutut Soeharto.
“The organization whose stance I am most curious in as we get closer to the election is ABRI”, said Megawati “It is too big and major of an organization in this country to not state clearly and plainly where they will stand at the next election. Whose side are they on? The people of Indonesia want to know.”
15th February 2002:
At the Presidential Palace, after a meeting with the President, Harsudiono Hartas held a press conference. He read out a statement on behalf of the President expressing his understanding if individuals and/or organizations feel that they do not want to take part in the partisanship of an election campaign but asks that when election day arrives, all those wishing to remain neutral will use their voting rights. The President also asks that no individuals be penalized by organizations if they would like to openly take sides.
A foreign journalist asked if the President could have taken a stronger stand against the Petition of 35.
“I think it’s not about a strong stand or a weak stand”, said Harsudiono “But I want to give you some food for thought.
The last time a group people sent a petition to an Indonesian President they ended up being unable to borrow money from a bank and not being able to leave the country, so far the Government had not made any statement that would indicate it’s not happy with the petitioners, the only statement so far is the one I read just now.
What about other presidential candidates? There’s definitely going to be more than one at the MPR Session next year.
As far the election goes, we’re 3 months out and so far what have we seen, the PKPB gaining ground on the PKPI. Yes, I said it, let’s be blunt about it…”
“What about Ibu Megawati’s comments yesterday about wanting to know where ABRI will stand in the election?” asked another member of the press.
“That’s a matter for ABRI which is beyond my jurisdiction” said Harsudiono “ABRI will answer for itself.”
After some more waiting, ABRI gave a clue that it will answer for itself. Commander of ABRI Wiranto arrived for a meeting for the President and came out half an hour later. He was immediately asked about what he thought of Megawati’s comments.
“I’ll take it as input”, said Wiranto “I’m just inside to discuss the agenda of the ABRI Leadership Meeting next week with the President for which he has given approval.”
“Will ABRI’s stance at the election be discussed?” asked a member of the press.
“Well we’ll be discussing the election and many other things”, replied Wiranto.
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Regarding the organizations that have declared themselves neutral here, I’ve just gone with some of the most prominent because after a while it was getting to the Dentists’ Association, Veterinarian’s Association etc. however there are some missing deliberately because they have chosen to “take sides”.
The general theme is that for these organizations, it’s something of a new territory because for 3 decades they had been directed to support Golkar during the elections. But now Golkar doesn’t exist and whether because they genuinely want to be neutral, avoid their organization being torn apart, or they want to be opportunistic, they’ve signed on to this petition.
The nickname of Petition of Thirty Five parallels the Petition of Fifty, an OTL petition handed to Soeharto in 1980 asking him to, among other things, stop equating himself with the national ideology of Pancasila and stop pushing ABRI to take the side of the government. Soeharto did not respond well to it and essentially made life hard for the signatories of the petition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition_of_Fifty
Golput stands for Golongan Putih (White Group) and it’s a movement consisting of people who don’t want to vote. The name Golput is this group’s way of thumbing its nose at Golkar, the Soeharto Regime’s ruling party.
Ibu means Madam or mother.
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