Alwi Shihab a strong candidate for PKB chief<\/p>\n
Asip A. Hasani and Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Acting chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Alwi
\nShihab is likely to get elected to the party's top post after the
\nchief of the party's board of patrons, Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\"
\nWahid, asked Saifullah Yusuf, Alwi's only serious rival, to
\nwithdraw his candidacy.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur has told Saifullah to be patient and not to take part
\nin the election of the chairman,\" secretary of PKB's Board of
\nPatrons Arifin Junaidi said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"Some elements in PKB and Nahdlatul Ulama have expressed
\nobjections to Saifullah's candidacy,\" Arifin told journalists,
\nquoting Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
Being the founder of PKB and grandson of Hasyim Ashari, the
\nfounder of Nahdlatul Ulama, Abdurrahman wields strong influence
\nin the party.<\/p>\n
Arifin said Saifullah, Abdurrahman's nephew, should pave the
\nway for Alwi to grab the party chairmanship.<\/p>\n
Set up in July 1999 with majority support from Nahdlatul
\nUlama, the country's largest Muslim organization with 40 million
\nmembers, PKB split into two rival groups in July after a faction
\nled by Matori Abdul Djalid attended the extraordinary meeting of
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which fired
\nAbdurrahman, a founder of PKB.<\/p>\n
Matori's PKB just finished holding its congress in Jakarta,
\nwhile its rival, namely Alwi's PKB, ended its congress on
\nSaturday evening.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, according to Arifin, the meeting between
\nAbdurrahman and Saifullah took place on Friday morning at an
\nundisclosed hotel here. However, Saifullah, was not available for
\ncomment.<\/p>\n
Arifin said that Abdurrahman preferred Saifullah to hold the
\nsecond highest position in the party's central executive board.<\/p>\n
Saifullah had apparently no choice but to heed his uncle's
\norder to withdraw from the party's chairmanship election.<\/p>\n
Should Saifullah insist on going for the party chairmanship,
\nit may disrupt party unity.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur believes that Saifullah loves his party, a party that
\nhas encouraged him to resign from PDI-Perjuangan,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Saifullah's candidacy has sparked controversy among PKB's
\nleaders, because he is considered a newcomer to the party.<\/p>\n
Saifullah, a former chairman of NU's youth wing, GP Anshor,
\nhas just resigned from PDI-Perjuangan, on the grounds that \"PKB
\nis my true home.\"<\/p>\n
His return to the PKB has drawn mixed response among congress
\nparticipants. Several chapters have thrown their weight behind
\nAlwi, while Saifullah has got strong support from GP Anshor, an
\norganization he formerly chaired.<\/p>\n
Other strong candidates for the party's top post are Marzuki
\nUsman, Mahfud MD, Ali Masykur Musa and Muhammad AS Hikam.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Saifullah has passed an obstacle in his pursuit to
\nbe elected party chairman. A plenary meeting, which was held last
\nnight, agreed to install Saifullah as an honorary member of the
\nparty.<\/p>\n
This position, which was previously obtained by other
\nnewcomers to the party, such as AS Hikam and Mahfud MD, has
\ngranted him the right to race for the party's chairmanship.<\/p>\n
An internal rule in the party rules that a member is allowed
\nto race for the party chairmanship if they have been a member of
\nthe party for at least six months.<\/p>",
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