Amien OKs party for Muhammadiyah

Amien OKs party for Muhammadiyah

YOGYAKARTA: The National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien
Rais said on Saturday he would let Muhammadiyah followers build
their own political party if they perceived that PAN had failed
to accommodate their aspirations.

"I think it is a good idea to establish a new party. But it
should not be just a discourse but real action," said Amien, who
is a former chairman of Muhammadiyah.

The former People's Consultative Assembly's speaker, however,
denied allegations that PAN has failed to live up to Muhammadiyah
supporters' demands.

"The most important thing is PAN stays an open party as Islam
teaches us to protect everybody regardless of ethnicity or race,"
he said. --JP