Matori's dismissal from PKB seen as 'emotional move'<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The dismissal of Matori Abdul Djalil from the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) was seen by his supporters as unlawful and
\nan \"emotional move\" taken by his rival, Alwi Shihab.<\/p>\n
\"No one can dismiss any party member except the party's
\nnational congress, which is the highest forum of the party,\"
\nMatori's PKB secretary-general Abdul Khalid Ahmad told The
\nJakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, a lawyer from PKB under Alwi's leadership
\nannounced Matori's dismissal from the party as he had ignored
\nrequests to clarify his presence at the impeachment process
\nagainst then president Abdurrahman Wahid in July.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman is the party's chief of the board of patrons.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman replaced MatorI with Alwi Shihab, the former
\nforeign minister. But Matori has insisted that he is still the
\nlegitimate PKB chairman.<\/p>\n
Since then, there has been a dual leadership in the PKB.<\/p>\n
Matori, who is now minister of defense, was accused of
\ndisloyalty, as he had defied the party's policy not to attend the
\nimpeachment process at the People's Consultative Assembly Special
\nSession last July.<\/p>\n
\"Matori should be given an opportunity to explain his behavior
\nat the next party congress. It is up to congress participants
\nwhether to accept or reject Matori's explanation,\" Khalid
\nasserted.<\/p>\n
Matori's camp held the PKB's national working meeting from
\nNov. 11 to Nov. 13, and it was attended by representatives from
\n24 provincial chapters. The meeting, among other things, decided
\nto resolve various party problems at an extraordinary congress,
\nto be held around March next year.<\/p>\n
According to Khalid, Matori's dismissal from the party, as
\nwell as from his position as party chairman, would be discussed
\nat the extraordinary congress.<\/p>\n
He claimed the chief of the party's board of patrons had no
\nright to unseat Matori from the party's leadership, which was
\ndecided at the party's national congress.<\/p>\n
\"Both the PKB chairman and PKB chief patron are appointed by
\nthe party's national congress; therefore the chief of the board
\nof patrons has no right to fire the PKB chairman,\" said Khalid.<\/p>",
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