PPP chairman Ismail refuses to step down<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): United Development Party (PPP) chairman Ismail
\nHasan Metareum brushed aside demands yesterday for him to step
\ndown, saying he would only leave the post at the end of his term.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters an hour after his supporters regained
\ncontrol over the party's headquarters from a dissenting group
\nwhich demanded his resignation, Ismail affirmed his commitment to
\nstay on as chairman until the end of his term which is signified
\nby the holding of a party congress.<\/p>\n
\"I was elected as party chairman during PPP's 1994 congress
\nand will only return the mandate to party members in the next
\ncongress,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ismail, who is better known as Buya, acknowledged that there
\nwere demands to move up the congress, which is currently
\nscheduled for 1999.<\/p>\n
\"The decision, whether or not to have the party congress ahead
\nof schedule, will be made in the upcoming leadership meeting
\nslated for June 26,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Such an early party congress is needed to anticipate the
\ngovernment's plans for the next general election,\" he added.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie said Saturday that the next general
\nelection would be held as early as May next year.<\/p>\n
Invade<\/p>\n
Thousands of Ismail's supporters invaded the PPP headquarters
\non Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, at 2 p.m. yesterday and took
\ncontrol of the party's secretariat within a few minutes.<\/p>\n
The party headquarters had been \"occupied\" by a group of 300
\ndissenting party members since Monday.<\/p>\n
The group, calling itself the PPP Reform Committee, demanded
\nparty leaders hold an extraordinary congress to elect a new
\nchairman to replace Ismail, no later than June 30. The congress
\nis currently scheduled for August 1999. The group also asked
\nIsmail to step down.<\/p>\n
Ismail dismissed the allegations that the PPP executive board
\nhad failed to satisfy the people's reform movement and maintained
\nsupport for then president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
\"It's not true if people say that PPP had always wanted
\nSoeharto as president.\"<\/p>\n
\"The PPP faction at the House of Representatives, together
\nwith other factions, formally asked Pak Harto to step down,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The group had earlier accused Ismail of manipulating the party
\ninto supporting the renomination of Soeharto for president in
\nMarch, while ignoring 20 out of 27 provincial councils, which
\nwere against the decision. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ppp-chairman-ismail-refuses-to-step-down-1447893297",
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