Alwi asks Matori to resolve dispute through 'heart to heart' discussion

Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The National Awakening Party (PKB) Alwi Shihab faction held out an olive branch to rival leader Matori Abdul Djalil on Thursday, inviting him to settle party dispute through 'a heart to heart" talk for the sake of PKB's future.

"Once again I invite you my brother Matori to come to this congress which is held for us to talk heart to heart. Explain your side and let's unite for the sake of PKB's prosperity," Alwi Shihab said at the opening ceremony of his faction's congress in Yogyakarta.

Alwi's appeal for a "heart to heart" reconciliation talk with Matori's camp was met with thunderous applause from thousands of PKB supporters at Al Munawir Islamic boarding school in Krapyak, some three kilometers to the south from Yogyakarta.

The appeal came just one day after Matori set out the conditions for reconciliation with Alwi's camp, namely that he be allowed to keep his chairmanship, a proposal that has long been rejected by Alwi's camp.

PKB split into two groups in July 2001 after a small faction led by party chairman Matori attended the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) which ousted then president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, a PKB founder.

Matori was later asked to resign but refused, prompting PKB leaders to replace him with Alwi Shihab, who served as minister for foreign affairs during Gur Dur's leadership.

Alwi, however, told reporters on Thursday that his faction was considering to change the party's name.

"We are considering another name for our party," he said.

Opened one day after PKB Matori faction concluded its congress in Jakarta, Alwi faction's congress is participated in by 1,553 people coming from 330 regencies and 29 provinces.

Most NU leaders attended the opening ceremony, including Abdullah Faqih from Langitan, Mbah Lim Imam Puro from Klaten, Mustofa Bisri and Cholil Bisri from Rembang and Ilyas Ruchyat.

Aside from NU leaders, over 500 ulemas from around the country and 73 from NU headquarters also attended the opening ceremony, which was also witnessed by Yogyakarta Governor Hamengku Buwono X, and Minister of Health Ahmad Suyudi.

Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's biggest Muslim organization that founded PKB, was absent in the opening ceremony as he is currently visiting Saudi Arabia upon the invitation of its embassy in Jakarta.

Hemengku Buwono X, who attended the opening ceremony in his capacity as the Sultan of Yogyakarta, said in his speech that the congress should be the forum to end the conflict, not the beginning.

"PKB should soon end the internal conflict and focus its energy on serving the people. PKB must be able to offer the country a new paradigm which can help the country get out of this complicated problems," Hamengku Buwono said.

Meanwhile, NU youth activist Nurudin Amin from Yogyakarta said that reconciliation between the two rival groups would unlikely take place since Matori insisted on establishing his own PKB and holding earlier congress in Jakarta.

"Almost all elements in PKB and NU wanted an 'islah' (reconciliation) before Matori held his congress. But now, I don't see any door of reconciliation open," he told The Jakarta Post.

Nurudin believed that certain parties were behind Matori's PKB congress in Jakarta who did not want to see PKB grow bigger.

"Reconciliation is impossible unless Matori and his supporters, including some 'kyai', free themselves from the influence of external parties behind them," he said.

Observer Greg Barton from Australia agreed with Nurudin, saying that the conflict within PKB was similar to those experienced by the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and Nadlatul Ulama few years back, when certain interest groups played behind Suryadi and Abu Hasan respectively.

Barton expressed the hope that the Yogyakarta extraordinary congress would generate the best solution to the conflict.

"All decisions in the congress should be taken with the spirit of the party's unity. Decisions should be acceptable to all elements in the congress so that they won't create new disappointed people," he said.

During the opening ceremony, Alwi Sihab presented a party award to its founders Abdurrahman Wahid, former NU advisory board Ilyas Ruchyat, Ahmad Muchid Muzadi, Mustofa Bisri, and the late Nasir Ali respectively.