By Max Lane
The People's Democratic Party (PRD) announced on October 22 that it had held a national congress in Yogyakarta October 9-11. Eighty-five delegates representing 23 branches, the national leadership and the affiliated mass organisations attended the congress. Representatives of overseas parties also attended.
The announcement stated that the PRD delegates met from 8.00am to 10.00pm over the three days to discuss reports on the national situation, struggle program, strategy and tactics, organisational forms and party-building, as well as to discuss several resolutions and to elect leadership bodies.
The congress received reports from the leadership in prison and the outgoing central leadership council. The congress was held secretly.
The congress decided to publish the PRD magazine on a fortnightly basis and to institute a publishing program of political books and pamphlets, including the PRD's document, The History and Basic Problems of Indonesian Society.
The congress reaffirmed its basic strategic priorities in the current situation, namely, the formation of people's councils (i.e. broad action committees); maximising its work in the legal sphere, including in elections; working for the formation of broad action coalitions and promoting mass action.
Excerpts from the PRD announcement on the congress, which summarises its analysis of the national situation, will be published in the next issue of Links magazine.