PKS asks members not to campaign for candidates<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Amid uncertainty over which candidate to support, a Muslim-based
\nparty has urged its members to refrain from taking part in
\npresidential campaigns.<\/p>\n
In a press release made available to The Jakarta Post on
\nThursday the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) advisory council
\nannounced that party officials and members were prohibited from
\njoining the team of any presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
Council chairman Rahmat Abdullah said that party members
\nshould not let other parties manipulate them or PKS' symbols for
\nthe benefit of candidates in the campaign.<\/p>\n
"This is to maintain both internal solidity within the party's
\nrank-and-file and good relationships with all candidates," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Rahmat said that until now the party had yet to issue a
\ndecision on which presidential candidate it would endorse in the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
"We regret the fact that the media has run stories saying that
\nwe have given an endorsement to one of the five presidential
\ncandidates," he said.<\/p>\n
A tug-of-war between two camps within PKS had prevented it
\nfrom making a swift decision on its preferred presidential
\ncandidate.<\/p>\n
Party spokesman Suryama said that the party's ranks were
\ndivided between those who support Golkar Party presidential
\ncandidate Gen. (ret) Wiranto and the candidate nominated by the
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN), Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
He said that the two camps had an equally strong foundation
\nfor their endorsement.<\/p>\n
However, a number of the party's provincial chapters have
\ngrown impatient with the protracted wrangling within the party
\nand have begun promoting the cause of one presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
In Medan, North Sumatra, the PKS provincial chapter has openly
\ndeclared its support for Amien, while in Surabaya, East Java,
\nparty leaders have given the go-ahead for members to join the PAN
\npresidential campaign.<\/p>\n
The five-year-old PKS (originally the Justice Party, or PK)
\nwhich claims a 300,000-strong membership, reached a surprising
\nseventh place in the April 5 legislative election contested by 24
\nparties, and won the majority of votes in the capital.<\/p>\n
The party leadership has announced it will play the role of
\nopposition in the legislature with only 45 of the 550 seats.<\/p>\n
Members of the party began to speculate that the PKS would
\nissue its endorsement only days before the July 5 election.<\/p>",
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