Conflicts plague big parties<\/p>\n
Muhaimin Syamsuddin, Faculty of Letters Petra Christian University,
\nSurabaya<\/p>\n
The spread of internal conflicts among almost all of the big
\npolitical parties in Indonesia is like an epidemic.<\/p>\n
In the National Mandate Party (PAN) in January 2001, 16 of its
\nexecutives led by Faisal Basri and Bara Hasibuan declared that
\nthey had resigned from the party.<\/p>\n
The Crescent Star Party (PBB) saw disputes between two
\nfounders: Chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Hartono Mardjono, now
\nthe chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Party (PII), a new party
\ndeclared on March 15.<\/p>\n
The United Development Party (PPP) which was led by Vice
\nPresident Hamzah Haz now has a splinter party, the United
\nDevelopment Party of Reform (PPP-Reformasi) declared by preacher
\nZainuddin MZ.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the National Awakening Party (PKB) now has two
\nrival chairmen each claiming legitimacy -- Matori Abdul Jalil and
\nAlwi Shihab.<\/p>\n
These internal conflicts are bound to influence public policy
\noptions, the recruiting and training of leaders for public
\noffices, and political education.<\/p>\n
One factor causing such conflicts is of course the clash of
\ninterests among party executives. For instance, the PPP split
\nfollowed an unsettled dispute over the party executive's decision
\nto postpone the party's congress from 2003 to 2004. The PPP
\ndelayed the congress at the request of party chairman, Hamzah
\nHaz, to enable himself to run for the presidency in the next
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin MZ said that postponing the party's congress from
\n2003 to 2004 was illegal and against the party's internal
\nregulations. The postponement, he added, aimed to block other
\nparty's members from contesting the next presidential elections.<\/p>\n
Another significant factor that stimulates internal conflicts
\nin political parties is the absence of good party management.
\nConflict handling involves elements from outside the party, and
\nunnecessary overexposure in the media.<\/p>\n
In the conflict of the PKB, after the impeachment of president
\nAbdurrahman Wahid during the people's consultative assembly
\nspecial session (SI-MPR) in 2001, the Kyai Khos played an
\nimportant role. These are a number of Kyai, the NU's religious
\nleaders or ulema, who are believed to have outstanding abilities,
\na good knowledge of Islam, and are not PKB's executives.<\/p>\n
Their involvement in handling PKB's internal conflicts
\nprecisely sharpens the conflicts because they take sides. It is
\ncommonly believed that Kyai Khos actually stand for Gus Dur to
\nwin Alwi Shihab as the chairman. At last, they couldn't resolve
\nthe conflicts peacefully.<\/p>\n
Besides, Matori Abdul Jalil and Alwi Shihab preferred exposing
\ntheir conflicts in the mass media rather than meeting and
\ndiscussing the issues together to find the best solution.
\nOverexposure of the conflicts in the media makes the conflicts
\nmore complicated. It does not stimulate a better understanding
\nbut rather fosters prejudice to each other.<\/p>\n
Other than a clash of interests among the party executives and
\nthe absence of good party management, the political system which
\ncenters upon the reliance on top figures is also liable to cause
\ninternal conflicts in political parties. It means that internal
\nconflicts in political parties are rooted in the tremendous power
\nof the top figures.<\/p>\n
Top figures, in this case, might be either the founders of the
\nparty or the chairman. In other words, it can be said that
\npolitical parties in Indonesia are very personal and under
\nprogrammed. In this kind of political party system, opposing the
\nwill of top figures means opposing the party itself.<\/p>\n
This unfair political system eventually creates binary
\nopposition camps which often lead to a dispute, a quarrel, or
\neven a fight. Such a phenomenon can be found in the dispute and
\nconflict between Faisal Basri, a representative of the young
\npeople's camp, versus Amien Rais as the chairman of National
\nMandate Party (PAN); between Zainuddin MZ, a potential votes
\ngetter, against Hamzah Haz as the chairman of United Development
\nParty (PPP); as well as between Matori Abdul Jalil as the
\nchairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) versus Abdurrahman
\nWahid as the PKB's founder.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, the clash of interests among the party
\nexecutives, the absence of good party management, and the
\npolitical system which centers upon the reliance on top figures
\nundoubtedly cause internal conflicts in political parties.<\/p>\n
Therefore, trying to resolve the internal conflicts away by
\nresigning from the party or establishing a new splinter party
\nwill not work. The parties have to be made better through
\nconcrete work in party development, such as doing fit and proper
\ntests in appointing the party chairman and the party's central
\nboard (DPP), as well as setting a political system run by parties
\nbased on democracy rather than on the reliance of top figures. If
\nthese are implemented, better parties will emerge in the future,
\nso that we could move forward in the development of Indonesia's
\ndemocracy.<\/p>",
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