Minister 'must resign' before running for PAN chairmanship

Minister 'must resign' before running for PAN chairmanship

Tiarma Siboro and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Semarang

Leader of the country's second largest Muslim organization,
Muhammadiyah, has called on Minister of Transportation Hatta
Radjasa to resign from his Cabinet post before running in a
leadership election for the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Deputy chairman Din Syamsuddin of Muhammadiyah, which has a
lot of links with and influence upon PAN, said the policy would
prevent state officials from taking advantage of their executive
power for campaign purposes as well as vote-buying.

Hatta is a member of both PAN and Muhammadiyah.

"I hope that state officials, who wish to run, will
voluntarily resign before the election begins -- not wait until
the election ends," Din told reporters at Muhammadiyah
headquarters on Monday.

I hope Pak Hatta decides to resign from his ministerial post
first."

PAN, founded by Muhammadiyah in 1998, is slated to hold a
national congress in Semarang, Central Java, where they are
expected to elect a new leader beginning this Thursday.

As of today, there are six candidates who have confirmed that
they will run. They consist of economic analyst Didik J.
Rachbini, scholar Muslim Abdurrahman, businessman Sutrisno
Bachir, former minister of finance Fuad Bawazier, legislator
Samuel Kotto and Hatta.

The candidates expect to gather votes from a total 1,500 of
the party's regional delegates.

To support the congress, the steering committee has booked
2,000 rooms for the party's executives at various hotels in
Semarang. Food and street vendors are also invited to set up
makeshift shops at Lapangan Simpang Lima compound, where about
6,000 of the party's cadres will hold an opening ceremony.

The current party leader Amien Rais, who lost last year's
presidential election in the first round, has said he would not
enter the PAN leadership race. He has also been quoted by the
press earlier as saying that Hatta should resign from the Cabinet
before contesting the leadership post.

Some analysts have speculated that the move by Hatta to enter
the race was to ensure that the party would support Susilo's
government, as was the case at the Golkar congress, which is now
led by Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Golkar has played a crucial
role in helping push the House of Representatives to approve
Susilo's unpopular fuel hike policy.

"What we (the Muhammadiyah) want is a leader who upholds
religious principles and promotes this organization's vision and
mission," Din said, when asked by the press which candidate would
be supported by Muhammadiyah.

Din also warned Muhammadiyah members, who are also running for
the PAN leadership post, not to bribe anybody or act in a corrupt
manner.

"I warn them (the candidates) not to be corrupt. They must
remember that PAN and Muhammadiyah are just like two sides of a
coin," Din added.

PAN is the fifth largest faction in the House.