Rival PKB groups plan separate congresses<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In a bid to win government support for his National Awakening
\nParty (PKB), Matori Abdul Djalil has been courting President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Matori, who is also the defense minister,
\ninvited Megawati to open the extraordinary congress of his party
\nscheduled for Jan. 14 to Jan. 16, 2002.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, his rival camp has planned to hold its congress in
\nYogyakarta on Jan. 19, 2002.<\/p>\n
Matori claimed that the President agreed to address the
\nparticipants of the planned special congress in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I saw the President as PKB chairman -- the President said
\nthat she could open the congress,\" he said, expressing pleasure
\nthat the President lent him her support.<\/p>\n
PBK, cofounded by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, has been
\nriddled with internal conflicts since Abdurrahman was toppled
\nfrom presidency in July.<\/p>\n
Matori had been sympathetic to Megawati, who gave him the
\nministerial post in return.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman sacked Matori and appointed Alwi Shihab, his close
\nconfidant and former minister of foreign affairs, as the acting
\nchairman of the party. Last month, Matori was fired from the
\nparty, but he rejected the dismissal, saying that he is the
\nlegitimate party chairman.<\/p>\n
The government had suspended financial aid for PKB until the
\ninfighting is resolved.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, who oversees the aid,
\nsaid on Wednesday that the government will not interfere in the
\nconflicts and urged them to deal with the leadership issue.<\/p>\n
\"We do not take side and we will not interfere; for the
\ngovernment it is more important for them to end the conflict,\" he
\nsaid after meeting the President.<\/p>\n
Matori said the agenda of the special congress is his
\naccountability speech and leadership issues.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rival-pkb-groups-plan-separate-congresses-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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