Amien says PAN split over poor poll showing<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais
\nadmitted on Tuesday that several members of the party would quit
\nover disappointment with the party's poor performance in June's
\ngeneral election.<\/p>\n
\"I've heard about it. And I'll be the first person to be
\ndisappointed if they go ahead with their plan to set up a new
\nparty,\" Amien told reporters at the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
He was commenting on a group of PAN members led by secretary-
\ngeneral Faisal Basri who reportedly plan to found a breakaway
\nparty called the Nusantara Mandate Party (PANU).<\/p>\n
PAN, one of the many political parties which came into
\nexistence following the fall of former president Soeharto last
\nyear, won 7 percent of the vote in the polls for 34 House seats.
\nBut Amien's mastery in politics made the tiny party an
\ninfluential player in the General Session of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) in October.<\/p>\n
During the Assembly session Amien was elected MPR speaker and
\nhis presidential nominee, Abdurrahman Wahid, won the presidential
\nrace.<\/p>\n
Amien said the split was evidence that he had failed to
\nconsolidate factions within PAN.<\/p>\n
\"However it's their right to set up a party,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
PAN executive Hatta Radjasa shared Amien's view, saying that
\nhe would suggest the party let Faisal go.<\/p>\n
\"Faisal is not a threat to PAN,\" Hatta, who chairs the Reform
\nfaction which comprises PAN and the Justice Party at the House,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Reports said that PAN had long been divided into two factions:
\nthe nationalist-oriented wing led by Faisal and the Islamic-
\noriented camp led by Amien.<\/p>\n
Despite his key position in the party, Faisal did not secure a
\nseat either in the House or the Assembly. Many PAN
\nrepresentatives in the two state institutions are supporters of
\nAmien.<\/p>\n
The split was believed to have widened when Faisal openly
\nsupported Megawati Soekarnoputri for the presidency, while Amien
\nforged a coalition involving Muslim-based parties called the
\n\"axis force\" to nominate Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
Faisal denied on Monday that he had set up PANU, saying that
\nthe foundation of the party was inspired by PAN executive
\nChristianto Wibisono, who said that PAN no longer acted in line
\nwith its initial nationalist platform.<\/p>\n
\"I see that PAN has strayed far from the platform. I will
\nresign if I cannot correct the party,\" he said as quoted by
\nDetikcom online.<\/p>\n
Faisal's fellow PAN executive Bara Hasibuan denied the
\nestablishment of PANU.<\/p>\n
\"We are not disappointed. We are proud of PAN because such a
\nnew party could win 7 percent,\" said Bara, who is in charge of
\ninternational relations.<\/p>\n
Bara said he and his friends would not leave PAN, but instead
\nwould propose improvement in the party during its congress, which
\nis scheduled for February next year.<\/p>\n
He suspected that a certain group in PAN who was disappointed
\nwith the small vote earning was trying to turn the party into a
\nsectarian party. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/amien-says-pan-split-over-poor-poll-showing-1447893297",
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