Ismail Hasan re-elected PPP chief
Ismail Hasan re-elected PPP chief
JAKARTA (JP): Ismail Hasan Metareum was re-elected chairman of
the Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP) yesterday
after a tense day-long deliberation.
His re-election will apparently keep the party's notorious
internal rifts aflame because he was deprived of the endorsement
of influential ulemas of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
NU ulemas fielded Matori Abdul Djalil, the outgoing PPP
secretary general, who received support mostly from
representatives from Java -- NU's strongest base.
As it did in the past, the second highest post of secretary
general went to a little-known PPP politician from NU, Tosari
Widjaya.
NU, Indonesia's largest Moslem organization which claims 35
million members, now has seven of the 21-member party board of
executives. It also boasts three men on the party's advisory
board.
The congress closed by Vice President Try Sutrisno enlarged
the executive board membership from 16 to 21.
Ismail Hasan hails from Muslimin Indonesia (MI), which has
dominated the PPP leadership since the party's formation in 1973.
The two other factions, Syarikat Islam (SI) and Perti received
less prestigious positions in the new executive board.
First elected party chairman in 1989, Ismael Hasan's re-
election came as little surprise since he had the apparent
endorsement of both the government and the powerful Armed Forces
(ABRI).
Besides, his supporters dominated the seven-member electoral
board which was empowered to select the line-up of the new party
leadership.
In the formation of the electoral board Wednesday night, MI
won five seats and NU two. Ismail Hasan and Matori were among
those elected.
His re-election at the Shangri-La Hotel was announced late in
the afternoon, hours behind schedule, but it somehow ended
tension gripping participants to the congress at the Pondok Gede
Haj dormitory.
Electoral board member Aisyah Aminy, known as one of Ismail
Hasan's closest allies, described the proceedings as tense with
Matori walking out of the room after his request to choose NU's
figures for the new executive board was rejected.
Although Matori and Syansuri Badawi, who represented NU,
refused to sign the agreement on the new board of executives, the
result was unquestionably legal because more than half of the
board members signed it, she said.
"We selected the new executive board without the government's
intervention. There was no consultation with any official about
the personnel," Aisyah said.
Matori, whose strongest support came from the ulemas, could
not hide his dismay over his loss which followed months of bitter
rivalry with Ismail Hasan.
He said he could accept whatever decision was made by the
electoral board but stressed that the decision-making process was
"not carried out wise enough", an obvious reference to Ismail
Hasan's refusal of his demand to name NU figures in the new party
leadership.
"They ignored ulemas' wishes," Matori, appearing weary, told
journalists. "If they don't even listen to what the ulemas say,
the religious leaders may move away from the party."
However, he ruled out the possibility that NU would boycott
PPP in the 1997 general election like it did in 1987, which
caused a drop in PPP seats in the House of Representatives from
94 to 60.
"We sincerely hope that PPP will not continue shrinking but
instead grow like PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party) which is
close to the ordinary people," he said.
In closing the congress, Try said that all party members
should accept the decisions made in the gathering and implement
them accordingly.
"Party programs must be more conceptual because people have
better political awareness nowadays," he said.
Meanwhile, Ismail Hasan said he would continue his "cool"
leadership style because his re-election showed that was what
party supporters wanted.
"Now the party is strong and its leaders have to be
proactive," he said, adding that he would not remove his arch
rivals, Matori and legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, from the
DPR.
Bintang, who also coveted the party's top spot but received
support from only 14 congress participants, congratulated Ismail
Hasan's re-election.
He said, however, that Ismail's victory was the result of a
"conspiracy between the outgoing executive board and the
government."
The delayed announcement of the election of the new executive
board triggered speculation in the afternoon that the electoral
board had reached a deadlock.
Congress officials had made the venue of the board's meeting
so secret that the cause of the standoff remained a matter of
speculation.
They would only shrug their shoulders when asked what had
transpired during the board's meeting.
Until 6 p.m., there was no sign that the board members would
return to the congress venue, heightening speculation that the
election process had reached a virtual deadlock.
As night caved in, the scene at the haj dormitory was
dominated by the presence of scores of policemen clad in anti-
riot gear lining the main entrance.
Security officials were also deployed in and around the
dormitory to guard Try. (pan/par)
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