Branches blast PPP's wait and see stance
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) has come under fire here for falling short of expectations that it would unveil in its recent leadership meeting its presidential candidate for the 1998/2003 term.
Deputy secretary of PPP's provincial office here, Suwandi D.S., protested the party executives for deferring the job of announcing the candidate for the top post, to chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum. He demanded that the executives rerun the gathering.
"It's not a fair decision, because many of our aspirations are not yet accommodated. I'm afraid it (the decision) will damage PPP's image. It has neglected people's demand for political reform," Suwandi said Thursday.
He said PPP followers in the grassroots might feel betrayed by their leaders and would abandon the party come the next general elections in 2002.
"People have become critical about the present sociopolitical conditions. They will no longer accept empty promises," he said.
In its election campaign last April and May, PPP attracted great crowds with promises that it would press for a clean government and political reform.
Ismail said Tuesday that participants of the party's leadership meeting had agreed to let him announce the presidential candidate "at the right time".
He said it was the best solution to prolonged debates on who will be the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, which could split the party.
PPP deputy chairman Jusuf Syakir said 20 provincial branches have urged the party executives not to announce the candidate, while six others demanded the party support red-hot favorite incumbent President Soeharto.
Yogyakarta branch favored local figure Amien Rais, a noted critic and chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, for the top post.
PPP chief of Sleman, Yogyakarta district, Herman Abdurrahman, branded party leaders "cowards" for failing to announce candidates other than Soeharto.
"Why should they be afraid? Campaigning for an alternative candidate does not violate the constitution. PPP does not deserve to take part in the general elections, if it doesn't have the guts to announce its own presidential candidate," he said.
Regeneration
Chief of the Surakarta, Central Java branch Mudrick Sangidu said the provincial branches' demand that party executives not unveil the presidential candidate indicated the public's strong wish for a change of guard of the national leadership.
"I think the branches pushed their demand because they knew their leaders would not have the courage to openly announce an alternative figure," he said Thursday.
In Semarang, the Association of Indonesian Catholic Intellectuals (ISKA) said in a statement marking the conclusion of its triennial congress Thursday that political organizations should ponder electing alternative candidates in response to President Soeharto's hint recently that he might step down.
"Political organizations have been too busy with economic development matters, but fail to prepare a regeneration of national leadership," newly elected ISKA chairman Charles Mangun said, reading the association's statement.
He said a well-planned regeneration would ensure a peaceful and smooth transfer of duty, without radical policy changes.
Mangun said the absence of a regeneration program had caused the political organizations to neglect public aspirations.
"The President himself has repeatedly reminded them on this issue, but they do not get the message," Mangun said. (23/har/amd)