Branches blast PPP's wait and see stance
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)