Hamzah, Zainuddin agree to avoid dispute
Hamzah, Zainuddin agree to avoid dispute
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi
Vice President Hamzah Haz, leader of the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) and Zainuddin MZ, head of PPP's splinter camp -- PPP Reform -- have agreed not to condemn each other in order to avoid conflict at the grassroots level.
The two camps have agreed, in principle, to share the same political stance, namely developing more political unity among Islamic parties.
Hamzah disclosed the agreement to reporters after opening a working meeting of PPP's branch office in South Sulawesi on Saturday. The working meeting coincided with the party's 29th anniversary.
"Last night, I met Pak Zainuddin," he said, adding the meeting was a good start for reconciliation between the two conflicting camps.
The meeting reportedly caused controversy among PPP Reform members following strong rumors that Zainuddin had accepted Hamzah's request to return to PPP, an accusation that was firmly denied by PPP Reform members.
At the meeting, Hamzah said he urged the country's popular Muslim preacher and his colleagues, who split from PPP, to return to the political party.
Zainuddin is famous for his religious speeches on TV shows and at huge gatherings nationwide.
The two camps, Hamzah said, had agreed to place Islamic interests as a common priority beyond their party interests, and reiterated their commitment to stop conflict within PPP.
Zainuddin, according to Hamzah, had even pledged to change the name of his PPP Reform party to the "Reform Party". Under this agreement, Hamzah believed that members of the two parties would no longer belittle each other.
At the meeting, Zainuddin vowed not to oppose PPP in the political arena because PPP Reform was founded along the same lines as, and was part of, PPP's big family, Hamzah said.
"If we are still unable to consolidate PPP, PPP Reform will politically not oppose PPP," Hamzah quoted Zainuddin as saying.
Former Jakarta chapter PPP chairman Djafar Badjeber was one of a number of leading PPP officials to join PPP Reform.
The establishment of PPP Reform, declared on Jan. 20 this year, is believed to have been based on the disappointment of several PPP executives, especially younger members, due to the postponement of the party's congress from 2003 to 2004.
Hamzah said that he would not run for the chairmanship in 2004.
The postponement was feared to hamper their political careers. For example, after a party congress the chairman of PPP's Jakarta chapter would usually be promoted to the party's central board and be appointed a member of the House of Representatives.
PPP finished third in the 1999 elections with 58 seats at the House, behind the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, which has 153 seats and Golkar with 120 seats.
Hamzah has repeatedly denied that PPP Reform emerged following a split within PPP.