NU, PKB fight over presidency<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The executive meeting of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
\nopened on Tuesday evening amid a probable fierce battle over
\npresidential candidate with its patron organization Nahdlatul
\nUlama.<\/p>\n
Dozens of NU clerics who claimed to represent 30 provincial
\nchapters of the country's largest Muslim organization bluntly
\nasked PKB to name NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi as the party's
\npresidential candidate at the end of its three-day executive
\nmeeting here.<\/p>\n
The demand goes against the wish of PKB board of executives,
\nwho have tacitly supported former president Abdurrahman Wahid's
\ncomeback bid.<\/p>\n
The clerics declared their position at the conclusion of a
\ntwo-day consultative meeting with PKB top brass at Sahid Jaya
\nHotel here. The talks preceded the PKB executive meeting which is
\ntaking place at Santika Hotel.<\/p>\n
NU clerics, including former NU chairman Abdurrahman, better
\nknown as Gus Dur, founded PKB in 1998 as a political vehicle of
\nthe Muslim organization, which now boasts 45 million supporters.<\/p>\n
PKB finished with the third most votes in the 1999 election,
\nbut managed only to win 51 seats in the House of Representatives
\nto become the fourth largest faction behind the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle, Golkar Party and the United
\nDevelopment Party.<\/p>\n
A group of politicians from NU held a meeting last month to
\ndiscuss a possible alliance in the 2004 elections. No agreement
\nwas reached during the meeting, except for Hasyim's call on NU
\npoliticians, regardless of their party affiliation, to vote for
\nonly one presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
NU clerics also recommended on Tuesday that PKB consult NU and
\nIslamic boarding school leaders to decide a clear mechanism to
\nselect candidates for executive and legislative posts.<\/p>\n
Ali Maschan Musa, who chairs NU chapters in East Java, the
\nstronghold of both NU and PKB, denied allegations that the Muslim
\norganization opposed Abdurrahman's candidacy.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is there will not be only one
\ncandidate proposed in the executive meeting. Participants in the
\nmeeting must be given choices,\" Ali told reporters after the
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
PKB chairman Alwi Shihab and his deputy Mahfud MD attended the
\nconsultative meeting.<\/p>\n
In response to the clerics' demand, Alwi said the final say
\nwould rest with PKB executives.<\/p>\n
\"The decision (on whether Muzadi's candidacy is endorsed)
\ndepends on the provincial chapters of PKB,\" said Alwi, the
\nforeign minister during Abdurrahman's tenure between 1999 and
\n2001.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Abdurrahman' loyalists tried on Tuesday to win
\nsupport from influential NU clerics known as kyai khos, who were
\nalready in Jakarta to attend the PKB meeting.<\/p>\n
The clerics normally do not hold formal positions in NU, but
\ntheir word will always be taken into account thanks to their
\nloyal followers among the grassroots.<\/p>\n
One of the kyai khos Masduki Machfudz suggested that PKB delay
\nannouncing its presidential candidate until the party's next
\nmeeting slated for December. Announcing the presidential
\ncandidate now will split PKB and NU, he said.<\/p>\n
Postponing the announcement of the presidential candidates
\nwould save time and energy, he added.<\/p>\n
\"It would be useless to waste time selecting a candidate if it
\nturned out to be a wrong decision, if he did not fit the
\nrequirements stipulated in the presidential election bill\"
\nMasduki said.<\/p>\n
The bill, slated to be passed next month, requires that a
\npresidential candidate be of sound physical and mental health.
\nThis will pose a stumbling block for Abdurrahman, who, despite
\nhis charisma, has impaired eyesight.<\/p>",
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