Hamzah's PPP fights it out to keep unity intact
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Unity is at stake in the United Development Party (PPP) under Hamzah Haz following a breakaway move led by noted preacher Zainuddin MZ.
An internal debate among PPP supporters over how to keep the party solid is in the offing after a group of members proposed a snap congress in 2003 to discuss preparations for the next general election in 2004.
According to the schedule, the next party congress is only due to be held after the general election.
Despite Hamzah's approval, there have been voices raised against the plan, particularly from party executives who are apparently reluctant to relinquish their posts before their terms expire in 2004.
"We have to be objective and immediately consolidate, otherwise many of our members will cross over to the splinter group," PPP deputy chairman Rusjdi Hamka told journalists after a meeting with Hamzah, who is also the Vice President, on Thursday.
Zainuddin, dubbed the preacher of one million followers, declared the establishment of the PPP Reform on Jan. 21 in Jakarta. The breakaway was caused by, among other things, the PPP leaders' refusal to comply with demands to bring forward the party congress to 2003.
It is feared that the charismatic Zainuddin could lure many of the PPP's traditional voters to jump on the PPP Reform bandwagon. PPP finished third behind the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and the Golkar Party in the last election in 1999, winning 58 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives.
Hamzah has offered to reconcile with Zainuddin, but to no avail so far.
Rusjdi admitted that some members of the central executive board had agreed to bring forward the congress to next year, but to avoid further internal conflict the proposal would be discussed at a leadership meeting in June.
"We understand that our decision to stick to the original schedule as regards the congress has resulted in a negative reaction from party supporters. The presence of the splinter group is a further challenge and we need time to regroup," he remarked.
Cracks were evident in the already beleaguered PPP as only 13 out of 27 executives invited to a special meeting on Wednesday night were present.
After the meeting, the party secretary-general Ali Marwan Hanan, who is also the state minister for cooperatives and small and medium enterprises, insisted that the next congress would be held in 2004 in order to give the party enough time to regroup.
"The congress will take place in 2004, and we will never discuss the possibility of moving it forward," he asserted.
Rusjdi played down on Thursday the seemingly open conflict between top party figures.
"There is no dispute between us. We will decide the date for the congress in June. Let's see what will happen later," Rusjdi said.