Preparatory Committee for Acehnese Peoples Party to be launched soon

Suara Merdeka CyberNews – March 14, 2006
Acehnese local political party logos (hikmawansp)
Acehnese local political party logos (hikmawansp)

Political figures in Aceh will soon be launching the Preparatory Committee for the Acehnese Peoples Party (KP-PRA). The committee will be tasked with preparing a local political party in Aceh to struggle for the Acehnese people’s future.

“The struggle to uphold justice, democratic values and human rights requires a strong organisation that can be accepted by the people”, said committee chairperson Ridwan M in a press release received by Suara Merdeka CyberNews on Tuesday March 14.

Ridwan explained that the need to form a political party with a populist perspective is a reality that can no longer be postponed. The KP-PRA will be launched on March 16 at 10am at the Lamnyong Restaurant in Banda Aceh.

The declaration will include a song performance by a solidarity choir, a political speech by the KP-PRA chairperson, solidarity greetings from local, national and international political figures and the reading of the KP-PRA’s program and resolutions.

Ridwan said that the KP-PRA is demanding the formation of a people’s united government through a national front for the welfare of the Acehnese people. A number of its demands will focus on the KP-PRA’s program of struggle such as the nationalisation of the oil, gas and electricity industries, opening up opportunities for employment though national industries, technology and agriculture along reducing the costs of means of production, a minim wage equivalent to the basic cost of living, abolishing the foreign debt, protecting domestic industry and monitoring foreign trade.

The KP-PRA will also be prioritising the importance of free education that is scientific and democratic, free quality healthcare, the nationalisation of the banking industry, rescuing national assets from the privatisation program, the liberalisation of strategic economic assets, the dismantling of the military’s territorial command structure and the abolition of banking recapitalisation obligations. “Unite to win power or become slaves in our own country”, said Ridwan. (mh habieb shaleh/Cn08)

[Translated by James Balowski.]