Rivalry heightens as PKB opens leadership race<\/p>\n
Blontank Poer And Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang<\/p>\n
Rivalry between groups contesting the leadership of the
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB) heightened on the first day of its
\nthree-day national congress here on Saturday, which was opened by
\nparty chief patron and former president Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\"
\nWahid.<\/p>\n
Just hours after the opening ceremony, Gus Dur's opposing camp
\npublicly announced the nomination of little-known cleric Ma'ruf
\nAmin to challenge the PKB chief patron in his bid to retain his
\ncurrent powerful post on the syuro (consultative) board.<\/p>\n
The nomination of Ma'ruf was supported by influential clerics
\nof Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), including Mas Subadar, Ubaidillah Faqih,
\nAbdurrahman Chudlori, Nurhuda Jazuli, Anwar Iskandar and
\nMuhaiminan Gunardho, who all supported Gus Dur in his failed bid
\nto contest the chairmanship in the powerful law-making (syuria)
\nbody of the country's biggest Muslim organization last December.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur should be given an honorary place as chairman of
\nmustasyar (PKB's advisory board) instead of syuro,\" Muhaiminan
\ntold a news conference attended by Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare Alwi Shihab.<\/p>\n
Muhaiminan stopped short of declaring support for Saifullah
\nYusuf, the suspended PKB secretary-general, who is vying for the
\ntop leadership in the party's executive (tanfidziyah) board and
\nis the running mate of Ma'ruf, a PKB co-founder.<\/p>\n
However, ahead of the congress these senior clerics had given
\ntheir backing for Saifullah, the current state minister for the
\ndevelopment of disadvantaged regions who also leads NU's youth
\nwing Ansor, to challenge rival candidates -- Muhaimin Iskandar,
\nMahfudh MD and Ali Masykur Moesa, all close aides of Gus Dur.
\nIn his speech to mark the opening of the congress at the
\nGirikusumo Islamic boarding school, some 30 kilometers east of
\nSemarang, Central Java, Gus Dur insisted that PKB must stick to
\nits policy of prohibiting party executives from serving in the
\ngovernment and NU posts.<\/p>\n
He said candidates must relinquish their government or NU
\npositions, should they wish to contest the PKB leadership race.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's statement was echoed by his bitter opponent and
\ncurrent NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi who attended the opening
\nceremony. He said executives of his 40 million-strong
\norganization and its autonomous bodies, including Ansor, were not
\nallowed to hold dual positions.<\/p>\n
Both Gus Dur and Hasyim were responding to the nomination of
\nSaifullah, a strong contender in the race who was made non-active
\nalong with Alwi Shihab as PKB secretary-general and chairman
\nrespectively. The two were suspended after they joined President
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet last October.<\/p>\n
Separately, acting PKB chairman Mahfudh has announced a
\ncoalition with another candidate Khofifah Indar Parawansyah to
\ncontest the ongoing PKB race. On the sidelines of the opening
\nceremony, Khofifah said Mahfudh, a relative newcomer in the PKB,
\nwas the most eligible candidate to lead the party for the next
\nfive years because he was the only one capable of articulating
\nGus Dur's progressive vision.<\/p>\n
Explaining his vision on Saturday, Mahfudh stressed that the
\nPKB, which declares itself to be an open and pluralist party,
\nmust set a good example for the people in a bid to boost its
\nimage. \"Currently, many are not able to fight corruption and are
\neven involved in it. Therefore, the PKB itself must be a good
\nexample.\"<\/p>\n
Susilo, whose presidential bid was opposed by the PKB, was
\nscheduled to open the congress but failed to appear. According to
\nMahfudh, the President did not attend because he wanted to
\nrespect PKB's independence.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Gus Dur faction claimed to have received
\nsupport from 26 provincial and 310 regental branches of the
\nparty. Leaders of the party branches held a meeting on Saturday
\nevening with Gus Dur at Patra Jasa Hotel, the venue of the
\ncongress participated in by 33 provincial and 405 regental
\nbranches across the country.<\/p>\n
\"We have issued a written statement to support the pairing of
\nGus Dur and Muhaimin Iskandar to lead the PKB,\" Lukman Edy,
\nchairman of the party's Riau branch, said after the meeting.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rivalry-heightens-as-pkb-opens-leadership-race-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}