Ismail Hasan re-elected PPP chief<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Ismail Hasan Metareum was re-elected chairman of
\nthe Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP) yesterday
\nafter a tense day-long deliberation.<\/p>\n
His re-election will apparently keep the party's notorious
\ninternal rifts aflame because he was deprived of the endorsement
\nof influential ulemas of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).<\/p>\n
NU ulemas fielded Matori Abdul Djalil, the outgoing PPP
\nsecretary general, who received support mostly from
\nrepresentatives from Java -- NU's strongest base.<\/p>\n
As it did in the past, the second highest post of secretary
\ngeneral went to a little-known PPP politician from NU, Tosari
\nWidjaya.<\/p>\n
NU, Indonesia's largest Moslem organization which claims 35
\nmillion members, now has seven of the 21-member party board of
\nexecutives. It also boasts three men on the party's advisory
\nboard.<\/p>\n
The congress closed by Vice President Try Sutrisno enlarged
\nthe executive board membership from 16 to 21.<\/p>\n
Ismail Hasan hails from Muslimin Indonesia (MI), which has
\ndominated the PPP leadership since the party's formation in 1973.
\nThe two other factions, Syarikat Islam (SI) and Perti received
\nless prestigious positions in the new executive board.<\/p>\n
First elected party chairman in 1989, Ismael Hasan's re-
\nelection came as little surprise since he had the apparent
\nendorsement of both the government and the powerful Armed Forces
\n(ABRI).<\/p>\n
Besides, his supporters dominated the seven-member electoral
\nboard which was empowered to select the line-up of the new party
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
In the formation of the electoral board Wednesday night, MI
\nwon five seats and NU two. Ismail Hasan and Matori were among
\nthose elected.<\/p>\n
His re-election at the Shangri-La Hotel was announced late in
\nthe afternoon, hours behind schedule, but it somehow ended
\ntension gripping participants to the congress at the Pondok Gede
\nHaj dormitory.<\/p>\n
Electoral board member Aisyah Aminy, known as one of Ismail
\nHasan's closest allies, described the proceedings as tense with
\nMatori walking out of the room after his request to choose NU's
\nfigures for the new executive board was rejected.<\/p>\n
Although Matori and Syansuri Badawi, who represented NU,
\nrefused to sign the agreement on the new board of executives, the
\nresult was unquestionably legal because more than half of the
\nboard members signed it, she said.<\/p>\n
\"We selected the new executive board without the government's
\nintervention. There was no consultation with any official about
\nthe personnel,\" Aisyah said.<\/p>\n
Matori, whose strongest support came from the ulemas, could
\nnot hide his dismay over his loss which followed months of bitter
\nrivalry with Ismail Hasan.<\/p>\n
He said he could accept whatever decision was made by the
\nelectoral board but stressed that the decision-making process was
\n\"not carried out wise enough\", an obvious reference to Ismail
\nHasan's refusal of his demand to name NU figures in the new party
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
\"They ignored ulemas' wishes,\" Matori, appearing weary, told
\njournalists. \"If they don't even listen to what the ulemas say,
\nthe religious leaders may move away from the party.\"<\/p>\n
However, he ruled out the possibility that NU would boycott
\nPPP in the 1997 general election like it did in 1987, which
\ncaused a drop in PPP seats in the House of Representatives from
\n94 to 60.<\/p>\n
\"We sincerely hope that PPP will not continue shrinking but
\ninstead grow like PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party) which is
\nclose to the ordinary people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In closing the congress, Try said that all party members
\nshould accept the decisions made in the gathering and implement
\nthem accordingly.<\/p>\n
\"Party programs must be more conceptual because people have
\nbetter political awareness nowadays,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ismail Hasan said he would continue his \"cool\"
\nleadership style because his re-election showed that was what
\nparty supporters wanted.<\/p>\n
\"Now the party is strong and its leaders have to be
\nproactive,\" he said, adding that he would not remove his arch
\nrivals, Matori and legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, from the
\nDPR.<\/p>\n
Bintang, who also coveted the party's top spot but received
\nsupport from only 14 congress participants, congratulated Ismail
\nHasan's re-election.<\/p>\n
He said, however, that Ismail's victory was the result of a
\n\"conspiracy between the outgoing executive board and the
\ngovernment.\"<\/p>\n
The delayed announcement of the election of the new executive
\nboard triggered speculation in the afternoon that the electoral
\nboard had reached a deadlock.<\/p>\n
Congress officials had made the venue of the board's meeting
\nso secret that the cause of the standoff remained a matter of
\nspeculation.<\/p>\n
They would only shrug their shoulders when asked what had
\ntranspired during the board's meeting.<\/p>\n
Until 6 p.m., there was no sign that the board members would
\nreturn to the congress venue, heightening speculation that the
\nelection process had reached a virtual deadlock.<\/p>\n
As night caved in, the scene at the haj dormitory was
\ndominated by the presence of scores of policemen clad in anti-
\nriot gear lining the main entrance.<\/p>\n
Security officials were also deployed in and around the
\ndormitory to guard Try. (pan\/par)<\/p>\n
Lineup -- Page 2<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ismail-hasan-re-elected-ppp-chief-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }