Ismail Hasan safest bet for PPP: Nurcholish

JAKARTA (JP): Noted Moslem scholar Nurcholish Madjid predicted that Ismail Hasan Metareum will retain his post as chairman of the United Development Party (PPP) because he is the "safest" choice for everyone concerned.

The incumbent could satisfy all parties, especially the government, Nurcholish said over the weekend.

The government has an interest in seeing that PPP's rating as the second largest party does not drop in the 1997 general election, he said.

Allowing the PPP to drop into third and last place behind the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) would create extraordinary psychological effects for Indonesian politics, he said.

PPP is scheduled to elect its chairman at its congress in Jakarta late in August.

The party, which has come a distant second to Golkar in the last five elections, is now under pressure to elect a more populist figure than the conservative Ismail Hasan, since PDI elected Megawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, as its leader in its December election.

Many political analysts, including Nurcholish, said PPP could be edged into third place in the next election with Megawati at PDI's helm.

"PDI has Megawati, whose father's charisma could benefit her party," said Nurcholish, who helped campaign for PPP in 1977.

But while the government does not want to let PPP drop, it is in a dilemma about who it would like to see leading the party, he said, adding that Ismail Hasan appears to be the safest bet.

He added that the government must be concerned at the same time that PPP does not become so popular as to threaten the position of Golkar.

"If its concern is to help PPP retain second place, it's easy. Just pick someone from Nahdhatul Ulama (NU) to lead the party," Nurcholish said.

Internal bickering

But the government is not likely to allow popular figures like NU chairman Abdurrahman Wahid to take the helm because PPP under him could severely dent Golkar's majority in 1997, he said.

NU is by far the largest of the four factions that make up PPP with over 35 million loyal followers in Indonesia.

Ismail Hasan hails from Muslimin Indonesia (MI), the PPP faction which has enjoyed strong government support.

Nurcholish urged the PPP to put internal bickering behind them and to start working on enhancing its vision, ideas and programs for the sake of the country.

He says a stronger PPP could balance the power of Golkar.

"A balance is a must as advocated by the Holy Koran. Balance in the Koran becomes democracy in a modern political system. The problem now is that there is no balance here yet," he said.

He said he joined in the PPP election campaign in 1977 hoping that the party could balance the political situation. He stressed however that he was not a party member, then or now.

"As a metaphor, what I did was pump up a flat tire. There was a pedicab which had three wheels, Golkar, PPP and PDI. But, one of its tires was flat, and it needed filling."

"So, what was important was not the tire but the pedicab as a whole. And my concern was that the pedicab would run properly," Nurcholish said. (11)