An attack on democratization

In March 29, 11 am a convoy of buses carrying mostly women members of

the National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS) went to the Hotel Shangri La (where the Regional High Level Consultation on UN system wide conference that put MDG's evaluation as their main agenda) was attacked by a group of people who called themselves as Islam Defender Forum (FPI) and Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR).

About at thousand from these groups had gathered in Tugu Proklamasi (Proclamation Monument) that morning, a place where Papernas had scheduled a gathering calling for the " Resolve to Nationalize mining and oil industries " at 2 pm. About half of this group left Tugu Proklamasi to intercept the PAPERNAS convoy on the way to hotel Shangri

La.

All of a sudden they approached and started throwing rocks at the PAPERNAS convoy buses, dragged people out of the buses and hit themwith bamboo staves. "I was dragged by five people who carried sickles" said Mrs Yeyen, a member from Kampung Gege. "I stage a protest for the sake of my life and my family, I don't want to be impoverished" she said to the press.

The other members from the front-line, supported by passersby and ojek drivers tried to fight the attackers back and finally dispersed them.Ten Party members were injured and 17 busses were damaged. This attack prevented us from proceeding to Tugu Proklamasi to hold our mass gathering.

Agus Priyono chairperson of the Party said that this violence was not a Spontaneous action, this was a systematic action in to disrupt our program to end economic liberalization and foreign domination.

"They should know what we are here for, we are here to stop this country from being sold off. We are here to take our sovereignty back" says Haris Sitorus , General secretary of PAPERNAS.

***

Statement Regarding the attack on PAPERNAS members

On Thursday 29 March 2007 at 11 am hundreds member of the Islamic defenders front (FPI), the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and other similar group made an attack on a PAPERNAS members in General Sudirman street while they were in a convoy towards hotel Shangri-la and to Tugu

Proklamasi where they had planned a people's gathering to demand the nationalization of the mining industry that is currently in the hands of foreign companies. These same groups waited at Tugu Proklamasi in order to disrupt the mass rally should the PAPERNAS members arrived arrive.

The plan to hold the mass rally was postponed after the police stated that they were not able to guarantee the safety of the PAPERNAS members as they marched to their destination or at the Proclamation Monument itself.

Several weeks before, PAPERNAS regional conference in Batu East Java

East Java – which had already fulfilled all the legal requirements - experienced the same kind of action by reactionary groups and as well as police refusal to act against them. Prior to this, in September 2006, the declaration of the preparatory committee of PAPERNAS was threaten and repressed. There was also an attack on the founding congress of the

PAPERNAS on 18-20 January 2007 in Kaliurang, Jogjakarta.

Similar kinds of disruptions have been carried out against seminars and discussion forums of several NGOs and other people's organizations. The instigators of these reactionary actions have been from the same kinds of organizations including FAKI (Indonesian Anti Communist Front), FPI (Islamic Defenders Front) and the Pancamarga Youth group.

We declare that these are a series of thugs actions did not occur spontaneously and in no way reflect the aspirations of ordinary people.

In the past, the New Order state systematically made various regulations as well as instruments of violence to impede and kill off the people's political aspirations and movements. The issue of communism is the main weapon and scapegoat that is chosen to (disperse), repress and ban an organization. It is also used to frighten the people that until now have received misinformation in relation to communism and Indonesian

political history that was established by the New Order.

In the recent past this has been proven again, when the Attorney General Intelligence Unit issued an instruction to withdraw school history books that were produced for the year 2004 school curriculum, giving the reason that the section on the historical tragedy of 1965 did not identify the the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) as the agents of

the 30 September movement. Despite the fact that the results of various

foreign and Indonesian scientific research conducted by various reliable

historical research institutes state that there is no evidence that proves that the agents of the tragedy of 1965 were the PKI. There is in fact more historical evidence that indicates the involvement of Suharto as the primary agent in the tragedy of 1965.

Scientific research indicates that there was a mutually beneficial relationship between the New Order government and the emergence of the gangster organizations that attacked PAPERNAS. This is expressed in the results of the research of Ian Douglas Wilson, PhD, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia, in 2005 in the book "Reformasi:

The Struggle for Power in Post-Soeharto Indonesia", Kevin O'Rourke,

(2002).

They state that these groups act as the servants or assistants of the regime, using methods that have been proven to take the form of physical and psychological intimidation in carrying out their assignment to "maintain the regime" including intimidating and attacking critics of the government, organizing pro-government demonstrations and obtaining funding from "official" state criminal activities such as extortion / paid protection.

The people need to know this because the government still supports the

politics of the New Order that systematically accuses organization A or B of being "communists" with the intention of blocking the development of people's participation in politics.

This is also what has happened to PAPERNAS. We have been accused arbitrarily of being "communists" and our three banner program as "smelling of communism". (Remember one of the reasons the police headquarters consistently stalled the process of providing permission for the PAPERNAS congress in Jogjakarta was because they wanted us to delete the three banners from our program). Even though it is clear

that our program, in particular the three banners, has an anti-imperialist

character that was born in order to provide an answer to the crisis that

has descended upon Indonesia.Consider these things that are stated below, that:

1. The government at this time of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) and their predecessors, together with the majority of the members of parliament serve the foreign imperialists, especially after the recent ratification of changes to the foreign investment laws along with many other pro imperialist policies.

2. PAPERNAS is the only political party that explicitly rejects the various forms of foreign imperialism. The mass rally that PAPERNAS wished to hold at the proclamation monument that also explicitly wished

to go straight to the heart of the government's policies and call on the

people of Indonesia to nationalize the foreign controlled mining industry and reject the ratification of the new foreign investment laws.

3. The attack was conscientiously carried out on PAPERNAS in order to stop the mass rally from taking place was carried out by a group of paid thugs.

4. The deliberate lack of seriousness on the part of the police in carrying out their responsibility in providing permission and security for PAPERNAS activities.

We conclude that all of these events, that have obstructed PAPERNAS' activities both in Jakarta and in other regions, is a certain foreign imperialist scenario carried out by their agents in the puppet regime of SBY-JK. A scenario that clears the way for the imperialists in carrying out their colonization and exploitation of the Indonesian nation,

including their natural resources, as well as to weaken the most advanced sections of the people's movement that opposes imperialism.

The reactionary groups that attacked us are only the extension of the hand of the puppet regime although we must continue to take action legally because the state is a constitutional state.

After concluding thus, we state that:

1. We will not surrender to intimidation and attacks that are made on us.

2. We will continue to struggle in accordance with the anti-foreign colonization perspectives that were adopted by our congress in Yogyakarta including the three banners of national unity as our primary program.

We also demand that the apparatus that must uphold the law in particular

and the state in general must:

1. Take legal action against all cases of attacks that have been made

against PAPERNAS, and also

2. Guarantee the full security and smooth running of all PAPERNAS events

including in all branches in Indonesia in the future.With this the entire PAPERNAS organization and their supporters wish that this will provide momentum to expand the enthusiasm for continuing the political work with the people and not as something that brings demoralization and fear. This condition proves that the program and

political choice that we have taken are correct – it has been proven in

producing a reaction from those parties that do not want the aspirations

of freedom for the nation of Indonesia from the foreign colonialists to be realised.

Jakarta, 29 March 2007

Enough of being a nation of coolies, rise up and be an independent

nation!

Repudiation of foreign debt

Nationalise the mining Industry!

Build national Industry!

Jabo Priyono

Chairperson

Central committee Leadership

National Liberation Party of Unity (PAPERNAS)