Saifullah ready to lead PKB<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions
\nSaifullah Yusuf has announced his bid to contest the leadership
\nrace of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in April.<\/p>\n
He said on Saturday he is ready to quit the Cabinet should he
\nbe elected as new leader of the party founded by Nahdlatul Ulama
\n(NU), the country's largest Muslim organization.<\/p>\n
"If I have to choose, I will choose to lead the PKB over
\nCabinet membership. I will abide by the decision of the party's
\ncongress," Saifullah told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He further said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has
\nstated several times that "as part of the government we should
\nnot mix party interests with the state's".<\/p>\n
Preparing himself to vie for the leadership of the PKB, the
\nminister said he has been in contact with the party's chapters
\nacross Indonesia to solicit support for his nomination.<\/p>\n
Although no branch has officially nominated him as a
\ncandidate, Saifullah expressed his certainty that he would
\nreceive strong support in the race.<\/p>\n
PKB, the country's third largest party in term of votes it
\ngarnered in the 2004 general election, but the sixth biggest
\nfaction in the House of Representatives in term of seats, is
\nplanning to hold a congress to elect its new leader on April 16
\nin Semarang, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Alwi Shihab and Saifullah were suspended as PKB leader and
\nsecretary-general respectively after they joined the Cabinet of
\nSusilo, whose presidential bid had not been endorsed by the
\nparty.<\/p>\n
Currently, Alwi is the Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare. The decision to suspend Saifullah and Alwi was made
\nafter the two were sworn in as Susilo's Cabinet members on Oct.
\n21, 2004.<\/p>\n
Aside from Saifullah, other figures, including current PKB co-
\nleader and former defense minister Mahfud MD and deputy House
\nspeaker Muhaimin Iskandar, will also run for the party's top
\npost.<\/p>\n
Saifullah declined to disclose the details of his bid to lead
\nthe PKB or his motive for running.<\/p>\n
"As a PKB leader I feel responsible for developing the party
\nto prepare for the 2009 elections. We have real constituents and
\nwe should maintain them," he remarked.<\/p>\n
Analysts say Saifullah was given his ministerial post as a
\n"present" from Susilo for his significant contribution to the
\nlatter's victory in the July 5 presidential election and the
\nSept. 20 runoff.<\/p>\n
As the current leader of Ansor, the 40 million-strong NU's
\nyouth wing, Saifullah is believed to have managed to mobilize
\nsupport for the pairing of Susilo and Jusuf Kalla in the
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Saifullah had been a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI-P) and among Megawati Soekarnoputri's inner
\ncircle when she was elected as vice president in 1999.<\/p>\n
He quit the PDI-P and joined the PKB after his uncle,
\nAbdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who still controls the PKB, was
\nunseated from power in 2001, and Megawati took over the country's
\ntop post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/saifullah-ready-to-lead-pkb-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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