Matori officially dismissed from PKB<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The executive board of the National Awakening
\nParty (PKB) officially ditched Matori Abdul Djalil and Abdul
\nChalik Ahmad from the party for insubordination.<\/p>\n
Matori and Chalik lost not only their jobs as PKB chief and
\nfaction secretary in the House of Representatives respectively
\nbut also had their party membership revoked.<\/p>\n
PKB Advisory Council Chairman Abdurrahman Wahid, who himself
\nhas just lost his presidential seat, said that Matori and Chalik
\npurposely attempted to cause disunity in the party ahead of last
\nmonth's People's Consultative Assembly special session, which
\nfired Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
\"Matori and Abdul Chalik violated the party's rules by
\nattending the Assembly special session. So, the party decided to
\nrevoke their membership,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
The PKB, together with the tiny Love the Nation Party (PDKB)
\nfaction, boycotted the session because they considered it
\nunconstitutional and a ploy to topple Abdurrahman. Matori
\ninsisted, however, that he attended the meetings in his capacity
\nas deputy speaker of the Assembly. Abdul Chalik backed Matori.<\/p>\n
The party also decided to freeze the PKB factions in the House
\nand Assembly. Abdurrahman then appointed caretaker Minister of
\nForeign Affairs Alwi Shihab as the party's acting chairman after
\nMatori. The party is due to hold a national working meeting in
\nthe middle of this month to discuss the possibility of reviving
\nthe factions in the House and Assembly.<\/p>\n
Defiant<\/p>\n
Matori and Chalik, who were not present at the meeting that
\ndismissed them, remained defiant. They insisted that legally
\nspeaking they retained their positions and only the national
\nparty congress could fire them.<\/p>\n
They vowed they would lodge a protest over their dismissal
\nwith Abdurrahman, the party's Advisory Council chairman, who
\nchaired Saturday's meeting.<\/p>\n
\"I am still the party chairman until the congress or special
\ncongress is held to dismiss me. Besides, it was my right to
\nattend the Assembly special session,\" Matori told The Jakarta
\nPost on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Matori questioned why it was Abdurrahman who led the meeting.<\/p>\n
\"After I receive the official letter on my dismissal, I will
\nsee Abdurrahman. Remember he once said that if anybody has their
\nbasic rights abused, they are welcome to take the case to him. It
\nwas my right to attend the Assembly special session,\" Matori
\nremarked.<\/p>\n
Chalik said in an interview with Radio Elshinta, \"I exercised
\nmy rights to express my opinion about the party and I got
\nfired ...\"<\/p>\n
Matori said that currently he had yet to think about joining
\nanother political party. When asked about the chances of his
\nbecoming a minister in the new cabinet, he just said: \"I do not
\nwant to talk about it now.\"<\/p>\n
His political foes speculate that he failed to toe the party
\nline because he was eying a position in Megawati's Cabinet. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/matori-officially-dismissed-from-pkb-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}