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.