Gus Dur rejects Syaifullah's bid
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ahead of the National Awakening Party (PKB) congress in Semarang next week, its influential founder Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has refused to endorse the bid of State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions Syaifullah Yusuf to contest the party's top post.
Gus Dur said he approved the nomination of former defense chief Mahfud M.D, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar and House legislator Ali Masykur Musa, and considered PKB deputy chairman Muhammad A.S. Hikam and another party executive Lalu Misbakh Hidayat dark horses in the race.
PKB deputy chairman Andi Muawiyah Ramly said on Thursday that Indonesia's former president gave his blessing to the three candidates during a plenary meeting late on Wednesday. All party executives supported Gus Dur's decision, Ramly added.
"Gus Dur said he wished to improve the party's image and change it into a political party for the youth," Ramly told a press conference at the party's headquarters in Kalibata, East Jakarta.
Syaifullah and Alwi Shihab were dismissed as the party's secretary-general and chairman respectively after they took up ministerial posts under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet last October, The party's standing orders bans its executives from serving as government officials to a prevent conflict of interests and abuse of power.
In the run-up to the congress, both Alwi and Syaifullah are contesting the party decision in court.
Pressure has mounted for Gus Dur to let Syaifullah vie for the PKB leadership.
Clerics Muhaiminan Gunardo and Ubaidillah Faqih of influential Langitan Muslim boarding school visited Gus Dur earlier on Thursday at his office at Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) headquarters to ask the latter to help revoke the decision to dismiss Syaifullah and Alwi.
Gus Dur, however, insisted that both Alwi and Syaifullah agreed to leave their executive posts when the party's plenary meeting asked them to do so.
"I'm not in a capacity to review such a dismissal alone, as all party executives, including Pak Alwi and Syaifullah, were involved in the decision back then. It was Pak Alwi who led the meeting that resulted in his and Syaifullah's dismissal," Gus Dur said.
Gus Dur challenged Syaifullah's move, while warning him not to mix state affairs with the party's internal affairs.
"I'm looking forward to fighting him in court. One thing that he must understand is that the state cannot interfere in a party's internal affairs," Gus Dur said.
Syaifullah has just been reelected to head Anshor, the youth wing of the 40 million-strong NU.
PKB, the country's third largest party in terms of popular votes but the sixth biggest faction in the House of Representatives, will hold a congress between April 16 and April 18 to elect a new leader.
The party deputy secretary-general Hermawi F. Taslim said Gus Dur had won support from six provincial chapters for the post of the chief of the party's lawmaking body.
President Susilo is expected to open the event, which will be attended by around 3,000 delegates from across the country.