Frantic bid for PKB reconciliation fails
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja Ainur R. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Tuban/Jakarta
A last-ditch effort to bring the rival leaders of the National Awakening Party (PKB) to a negotiation table failed on Monday when one of the main actors in this play did not show up.
Matori Abdul Djalil boycotted the much-anticipated meeting arranged by influential Muslim clerics from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Langitan village in the East Java town of Tuban, some 100 kilometers west of Surabaya.
In Jakarta, Matori, who is also the minister of defense, said he stayed away from the meeting because he "was not invited" and that he did not see sincerity from his rival, Alwi Shihab, for reconciliation.
Both Matori and Alwi, the former foreign minister, continue to claim to be the legitimate chairman of PKB. The party fell into different camps following the fall of its patriarch Abdurrahman Wahid from the presidency last July.
The problem began when Abdurrahman dismissed him for supporting his impeachment and appointed Alwi as the successor. But Matori maintains that his dismissal was illegal because only a party congress can do it.
Among the 500 attendants of the meeting designed as an informal post-Idul Fitri gathering were 20 senior ulemas, such as host Abdullah Faqih, Fawa'id As'ad of Situbondo, Masduki Mahfudl of Malang, Azis Mashuri of Jombang and Anwar Iskandar of Madiun.
While PKB officials present were Alwi, co-founder Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid--who remains firmly on Alwi's side--and Yusuf Muhammad. NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi was also there.
The ulemas said they feared the unresolved conflict would confuse NU members, which make up the bulk of PKB supporters, about which camp, Alwi or Matori, they should follow.
The split of the fourth largest party has raised fear of poor performances in the 2004 general elections.
Hasyim said that he would try again to help find the best way to reconcile the two camps. He said that NU would call a meeting of PKB officials from all regencies to discuss ways to end the conflict on Wednesday this week in Jakarta. "The conflict has tarnished NU," he added.
Matori plans to hold his own party congress on Jan. 14 in Jakarta and the Alwi-Gus Dur camp will hold the PKB congress on Jan. 17 in Yogyakarta.
Abdurrahman met with 20 ulemas behind closed doors on the sidelines of the event in Langitan. Reliable sources told The Jakarta Post that he expressed concern over the relatively large number of ulemas that had lent their support to Matori covertly or otherwise.
He declined to comment on what they discussed as did Alwi. Alwi said that he would go ahead with his plan to hold the congress in Yogyakarta from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19.
In Jakarta, Matori met with Vice President Hamzah Haz, whom he claimed would close his congress in Jakarta on Jan. 16 as a token of the government's support for his version of PKB.
Earlier, he had said Megawati had promised to open his congress.
His strong position in the PKB internal conflict has raised questions as to where and how Matori gained political and financial support.
Political observer Laode Ida stated in Jakarta on Monday that Matori receives his funding from President Megawati in exchange for his support for her.
Laode claimed he received the information from both Matori and Alwi camps.