Nothing wrong with promoting Islamic law, PPP insists<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Vice President Hamzah Haz's Muslim-based United Development
\nParty (PPP) questioned on Monday a splinter group's move to
\nexploit ideology as its reason for breaking away from the party.<\/p>\n
A PPP official said the party's proposal to include the
\nimposition of syariah (Muslim law) in the 1945 Constitution had
\nbeen accepted by all of its leaders and members so that the issue
\nshould not have been used as an excuse for breaking away.<\/p>\n
Aisyah Aminy, a senior PPP legislator, argued that syariah was
\nno longer an issue in the country's third largest party.<\/p>\n
"There is no objection (from PPP members) to the proposal to
\ninclude Islamic law in the Constitution," she told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
The looming split has been caused mainly by the demand by a
\nsplinter group spearheaded by preacher Zainuddin MZ for a
\nleadership change in the PPP ahead of the 2004 general election,
\nshe added.<\/p>\n
Aisyah said Zainuddin and his supporters had never opposed the
\nPPP's decision to propose the recognition of syariah in the
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
On Monday,the PPP's Jakarta provincial chapter chairman Djafar
\nBajeber, one of Zainuddin's allies, said that apart from a
\ndispute over the party's next leadership congress, the conflict
\nwas also due to differences over principle between Hamzah and
\nparty members.<\/p>\n
The differences included Hamzah's move to push for the
\npromotion of Islamic law to lure conservative Muslim voters to
\nthe party in 2004.<\/p>\n
The rival faction has decided to announce the establishment of
\nPPP Reformasi (reform) on Jan. 27, with Zainuddin as its
\nchairman.<\/p>\n
The plan follows Hamzah's refusal to heed the faction's
\ndemand for the PPP to hold a national leadership congress in 2003
\nas scheduled. The party has decided to postpone its congress
\nuntil after the 2004 elections.<\/p>\n
The splinter camp accused Hamzah of trying to retain the
\nleadership of the PPP by delaying the congress in violation of
\nthe party's constitution.<\/p>\n
"How will a party be able to uphold the law if it breaks its
\nown rules," Zainal Maarif, PPP Central Java branch deputy
\nchairman, told the Post.<\/p>\n
He charged that the PPP under Hamzah has betrayed its
\ncommitment to empowering people at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n
Zainal cited as examples the fact that the PPP had done little
\nto protect workers and had taken no stand on major corruption
\ncases such as the one implicating House Speaker Akbar Tandjung.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin will tender his resignation as a PPP co-chairman on
\nTuesday while Zainal and one of his aides, Ade Hidayat, are to do
\nthe same on Monday.<\/p>\n
Hamzah played down the plan to establish PPP Reformasi saying
\nhe knew it would not undermine his party.<\/p>\n
"I have tried to accommodate the aspirations of Pak Kiai
\n(preacher) Zainuddin, but if he wants to quit the party, it's no
\nproblem, although it is disappointing for us," Hamzah said.<\/p>\n
He argued that Zainuddin was not on the party executive board
\nwhen the party scored the major achievement of taking third place
\nin the most recent general election in 1999.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin's camp claimed it had the support of senior
\nrepresentatives from at least 29 provincial branches across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
"They will all attend a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at kiai
\nZainuddin's office in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta," Zainal
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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