Matori makes scathing attack on PPP leader<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): United Development Party (PPP) Secretary General
\nMatori Abdul Djalil -- with an eye on the party leadership --
\nmade a scathing attack yesterday on incumbent chairman Ismail
\nHasan Metareum, saying that the party's poor showing in the last
\nelection was attributed to the leadership.<\/p>\n
Matori told a press conference that the party would continue
\nto lose its supporters if it maintained its current strategy.<\/p>\n
The strategy applied by the present board of executives under
\nIsmail Hasan Metareum had failed to significantly raise PPP's
\nstanding in the 1992 general election, he said.<\/p>\n
\"It's possible that PPP will become history if it doesn't keep
\nits house in order,\" he said at a press conference held after he
\ntreated journalists to a luncheon at the Pulau Dua restaurant.<\/p>\n
Matori formally announced his intention to run for the
\nleadership election yesterday, to be held at the party's congress
\nwhich begins on Aug. 28.<\/p>\n
He said he had the support of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
\nfaction.<\/p>\n
Leaders of NU, the largest of the four Islamic factions in the
\nPPP, have not formally named their choice of candidates for the
\nPPP leadership. Besides Matori, other NU figures who are known to
\naspire to the PPP top post include legislator Hamzah Haz, senior
\nNU politician Yusuf Hasyim and Karmani, chairman of the PPP's
\nCentral Java executive board.<\/p>\n
However, the incumbent chairman Ismail Hasan, who hails from
\nthe Muslimin Indonesia faction, appears to have the upper hand
\nwith support from the leaders of most of the party's regional
\nboards, who will also make up the bulk of the congress
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
Record high<\/p>\n
The run-up of the party congress has been dominated by a
\nfierce power struggle involving politicians from MI and those
\nfrom NU. The post of secretary general has been traditionally
\nreserved for an NU figure in compensation for allowing MI to
\nretain the chairmanship.<\/p>\n
Matori, who is also a member of the House of Representatives
\n(DPR), said he was determined to take the party leadership
\nbecause of his concern over the PPP's poor performance in the
\nlast three elections.<\/p>\n
PPP's DPR seats reached a record high of 94 under the duo
\npresident of Idam Chalid and chairman Mintaredja in 1982 but
\nunder the flamboyant H.J. Naro, they nose dived to 60 after the
\n1987 election.<\/p>\n
Under Ismail Hasan, the party's performance improved slightly
\nin 1992 by adding one extra seat.<\/p>\n
However, this pales in comparison to the 16 seats gained after
\nthe last election by the Indonesian Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
PDI's rising popularity has worried many PPP figures who think
\nthat the 1997 general election will demote PPP to third place.
\nThe party has come a distant second to Golkar in the last five
\nelections.<\/p>\n
With the PPP leadership election less than two weeks away,
\nMatori now appeared to try to distance himself from Ismail Hasan.<\/p>\n
Critics of the party leadership say that Matori and Ismail
\nHasan do not make good enough partners.<\/p>\n
The two are acclaimed for their ability to suppress the
\nnotorious factional bickering within the party but their apparent
\nlack of coordination has resulted in failure to improve the
\nparty's standing, the critics say.<\/p>\n
Worried<\/p>\n
Matori said he was worried that many more PPP's supporters
\nwould cross to either PDI or Golkar if the party did not change
\nits tactics in the upcoming election. \"PPP must be made a
\nconvenient home to its supporters,\" Matori said.<\/p>\n
He lamented PPP leaders who put the interests of their
\nfactions above those of the party. \"They should be aware that the
\nparty will succeed only if all the factions team up,\" he said.<\/p>\n
PPP is an amalgam of four Moslem organizations: NU, MI, Perti
\nand PSII.<\/p>\n
In Matori's opinion, PPP has to play a more active role as a
\nprime mover of democratization and an agent of development. \"The
\ngovernment should ease its grip on political organizations so
\nthat they can function independently,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He declined to comment if he had the backing of the government
\nfor his election bid, but said he had the endorsement of ulemas
\nin the provinces.<\/p>\n
He also refused to say anything about his chances of winning
\nthe chairmanship race, arguing that it was up to congress
\nparticipants to decide who should lead PPP. (pan)<\/p>",
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