Alwi Shihab faction told to cancel congress<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja and Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
The National Police have decided not to allow the chief welfare
\nminister to organize a congress for his camp of the conflict-
\nridden National Awakening Party (PKB) in Surabaya, East Java,
\nearly next month.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko said on Tuesday
\nthat his office would not issue a permit for the two-day national
\ncongress scheduled to begin on Oct. 1, arguing that the
\ngovernment does not recognize Alwi as the legitimate PKB leader.<\/p>\n
\"We refer to a decree issued by the Minister of Justice and
\nHuman Rights on the composition of PKB central board members,
\nwhich states that Muhaimin Iskandar is the party leader,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The PKB has split into two factions -- one led by Alwi with
\nState Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions
\nSaefullah Yusuf as secretary-general, and another camp led by
\nMuhaimin, a deputy House of Representatives speaker.<\/p>\n
Soenarko said the decision to ban the meeting was taken after
\nan internal meeting between security affairs division head at the
\nNational Police headquarters Comr. Gen. Ismerda Lebang and East
\nJava Police chief Insp. Gen. Edi Sunarno.<\/p>\n
\"Should they (the Alwi-led PKB faction) insist on holding the
\ncongress, we will persuade them not to go ahead,\" Soenarko said,
\nwho refrained from detailing how police would actually disperse
\nthem if they pressed ahead with the meeting.<\/p>\n
However, congress organizing committee head Choirul Anam has
\nclaimed that his side had already obtained a permit to hold the
\nmeeting as scheduled at the Sukolilo haj dormitory in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post in Surabaya earlier on Tuesday,
\nAnam said the committee had sent a letter to the National Police
\nheadquarters, East Java Police headquarters, East Surabaya Police
\nprecinct and Sukolilo Police sub-precinct, notifying them of the
\nplanned congress.<\/p>\n
A number of senior PKB clerics, including Abdullah Faqih from
\nthe Langitan Islamic boarding school in Tuban and Idris Marzuki
\nfrom the Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, have approved
\nthe meeting and would be among those in attendance, Anam added.<\/p>\n
The Alwi camp has trained some 1,000 civilian guards to ensure
\nsecurity during the event.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the PKB's Muhaimin faction threatened to mobilize
\naround 1,500 supporters to foil the congress by the rival camp.<\/p>\n
\"If we find Alwi's supporters using PKB paraphernalia during
\nthe event, we will force them to remove it,\" said Reylis Sumitra,
\na local deputy leader of PKB's youth movement.<\/p>\n
He said Muhaimin's supporters, from Surabaya, Probolinggo and
\nPasuruan, had received martial arts training to support the
\nanti-Alwi campaign.<\/p>\n
Reylis had asked the East Java police to ban the congress because
\nit would violate the judgment handed down by the South Jakarta
\nCourt last August, which favored the Muhaimin camp.<\/p>\n
The court ruled that last year's dismissal of Alwi and
\nSaefullah as PKB chairman and secretary-general by the Muhaimin
\nfaction was legitimate.<\/p>\n
Both Alwi and Saefullah resisted the dismissals but lost in
\nthe court battle over the case. They are appealing the decision
\nto the Supreme Court, while continuing their PKB political
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Former president Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid, who had made
\nAlwi his foreign minister during his 1999-2001 rule, is backing
\nthe Muhaimin faction, spurning the current chief welfare
\nminister.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/alwi-shihab-faction-told-to-cancel-congress-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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