Abdurrahman to officially join PKB: Muhaimin

Abdurrahman to officially join PKB: Muhaimin

By Ainur R. Sophiaan and Ahmad Junaidi

SURABAYA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid will officially
join the National Awakening Party (PKB) which he founded two
years ago, the party's secretary-general Muhaimin Iskandar said
on Monday.

"I believe all congress participants will approve Gus Dur's
election as the chief of the party's law-making body," Muhaimin,
who is deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, said,
referring to the President by his nickname.

He said Abdurrahman would replace Makruf Amin as the chairman
of an influential body, locally called Dewan Syuro, if he was
appointed on Thursday.

There has been a proposal to grant the body the power to elect
the party's chief, but only to meet strong opposition from the
floor.

Muhaimin confirmed that Abdurrahman would attend the election
of chairman as a congress participant, saying that the President
would not interfere with the process of the election.

"People know that Gus Dur is the party's founder. So it's
normal that he visits the congress," Muhaimin said in the
congress arena of the Haj dormitory here.

He said the President's visit aimed to show his full attention
to the party and his willingness to develop it.

Abdurrahman opened the congress on Sunday. It was not
mentioned on the congress agenda that Abdurrahman would "watch"
the election process of the party's chairman.

Although the President is known as the party's founder,
Abdurrahman did not officially join or become a party member.

Abdurrahman was a representative of the interest group at the
People's Consultative Assembly during the General Session in
October last year.

Many analysts believe that the appointment of Abdurrahman is
in line with the reelection of Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri as the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Assembly Speaker Amien Rais was also reelected as chairman of
the National Mandate Party (PAN), and House Speaker Akbar
Tandjung is certain to remain chairman of the Golkar Party after
the 2004 general election.

If Abdurrahman is elected chairman of PKB's legislative body,
it would be seen by many as a repeat of Golkar's past practice.

Former president Soeharto chaired Golkar's supervisory body
before his forced resignation in May 1998.

As chairman of the supervisory body, Soeharto had authority to
annul the election of the party's chairman.

According to PKB's planned internal regulation, the chairman
of the legislative body has authority to appoint the party's
chairman.

Several executives of PKB's provincial chapters have rejected
the planned regulation, saying that it is not democratic.

Meanwhile, PKB's outgoing chairman Matori Abdul Djalil
expressed readiness to be reelected as the party's chairman,
claiming that he was supported by several provincial chapters,
including West Java, Central Java and chapters from Sulawesi.

"They (the chapters) have visited me, asking if I was ready to
be reelected," Matori, who is also the Assembly's deputy speaker,
said after reading the party's accountability report on Monday.

East Java chapter chairman Choirul Anam earlier rejected the
reelection of Matori, nominating PKB's outgoing deputy chairman
and Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab instead.

In his accountability speech, Matori apologized to party
supporters for failing to reach its target of 40 percent of the
popular vote during last year's general election.

He said the party came in fourth after PDI Perjuangan, Golkar
and the United Development Party (PPP) after securing 12 percent
of the vote and 51 legislative seats.