Matori fired from PKB for disloyalty

Matori fired from PKB for disloyalty

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Awakening Party (PKB), under the leadership of
Alwi Shihab, officially dismissed Matori Abdul Djalil on Thursday
from the party for disloyalty.

Matori was fired after ignoring the third and last request to
clarify why he had defied the party's policy not to attend the
July People's Consultative Assembly Special Session that
impeached president Abdurrahman Wahid, the PKB's chief patron.

Matori was then chairman of the party and a deputy Assembly
Speaker. He was unseated and replaced by Alwi but Matori insisted
he remained the legitimate party chief.

M. Tohadi, secretary of PKB's legal aid section, told The
Jakarta Post on Thursday that Matori's dismissal was effective as
of Nov. 15 (Thursday), as the three-month deadline for him to
explain his disloyalty had passed.

The dismissal has dashed any hope of reconciliation between
the Matori and Alwi camps.

PKB, the country's fourth-largest political party, has been
riddled with internal bickering following the downfall of
Abdurrahman, the party's co-founder, in July.

Matori, who had held the chairmanship of the party since it
was established in 1998, supported Megawati Soekarnoputri to take
over the presidency during the July impeachment. In return she
appointed him as minister of defense.

Abdurrahman dismissed Matori from the chairmanship and
appointed Alwi, his confidante, and a former foreign minister in
his administration, to lead the party.

The defiant Matori further angered the Alwi camp by sticking
to his claim that he was the legitimate PKB chairman and by
holding a national meeting early this week.

The national working conference gave him a free hand to fire
and appoint party leaders in PKB regional offices.

Tohadi said he would file suit against Matori if he continued
to use the party's symbol or name for his political activities.

"We have considered filing suit against Matori for holding a
national working conference," Tohadi warned.

Matori could not be contacted for comment.