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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