Muslim leaders say PKB 'fills NU's shoes'
Muslim leaders say PKB 'fills NU's shoes'
JAKARTA (JP): Many traditional Muslim leaders assume that the
National Awakening Party (PKB) is the reincarnation of the now-
defunct Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Party, a leading NU figure said.
The chairman of NU's Central Java chapter, Achmad, told
reporters on Friday that PKB deserved the status because it was
the only political party formed and run by NU leaders.
"We are of the impression that PKB fills NU's shoes
adequately, because PKB in principle serves as a lajnah siyasah
(political institution) of NU," Achmad said after a meeting with
local PKB executives in Semarang.
NU was a leading party in the past, with grassroots support
mostly from villagers across Java. Under its controversial
incumbent chairman Abdurrahman Wahid, NU was declared a
nonpolitical organization during the 1984 national congress in
Situbondo, East Java.
PKB was established in July last year, naming Matori Abdul
Djalil its first chairman. Abdurrahman is one of the party's
patrons.
During the meeting, both Achmad and his PKB counterpart,
Nurhadi Iskandar Al-Barsany, agreed to cooperate to help the
party win most of the votes in East Java in the June 7 elections.
Achmad donated Rp 500,000 (US$56) as a token of his intention
to help PKB. He is a civil servant, but he said he would not vote
for the Golkar Party.
"I've never accepted any money from Golkar, although I am a
civil servant. We NU followers won't betray PKB," Achmad said as
quoted by Antara.
A government regulation issued late January bans civil
servants from political activities, ending almost three decades
of Golkar's monopoly on civil servants' allegiances.
Nurhadi said both PKB and NU bore the responsibility of
building a nation which recognizes pluralism, democracy and
social justice.
New regulations
Separately, Nurhadi lamented the government's failure to
satisfactorily formulate a set of regulations on political
operations.
Nurhadi said such regulations must be prepared as soon as
possible because the second stage of the election process,
including the registration of eligible voters and the nomination
of legislative candidates, is drawing near.
Registration of voters will run from March 18 through April
17, while the nomination of legislative candidates take place
between March 1 and March 15.
"If the government has the good will to organize a fair and
just general election, those regulations must be announced,"
Nurhadi said.
The Central Java office of PKB also urged local executives of
parties which have qualified for the polls to join forces in
pushing the bureaucracy to ease the difficulties involved in
applying for identity cards.
Only Indonesian citizens aged 17 or above are eligible to
vote. They must show their ID cards before voting.
"We have asked the Central Java governor to follow in the
footsteps of West Java's authorities, which have allowed
residents to obtain ID cards for free and in a very simple way
before March 18," Nurhadi said.
He said such measures would restrict the possibility of unfair
elections.
In Medan, North Sumatra, local executives of the United
Development Party (PPP), the Golkar Party and the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle also demanded the provincial
administration drop the fees from ID card applications.
"The local government could allocate funds from the province's
budget to finance the free ID card program," T. Syaifuddin of
Golkar told The Jakarta Post.
An application for an ID card can cost a resident up to Rp
40,000 (US$4.5), far above the official fee of Rp 1,000.
Maringan Panjaitan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said the program would increase the
participation rate in the elections. "Everybody will turn up for
the polls if they can get their ID cards easily," Maringan said.
Meanwhile, Central Java PPP chairman Thoyfoer M.C. suggested
that parties that have failed to qualify for the elections take
part as watchdogs while regrouping for the next elections.
"No need to protest the independent screening team or lose
control. It's better for those not qualifying to watch out that
the elections run in a fair and just manner," Thoyfoer said in
Semarang.
The government-sanctioned evaluation team announced on
Thursday that 48 parties were fit to contest the elections.
Thoyfoer said the number of eligible parties was enough to
show the government's intention to hold fair and just elections.
"The team's decision is in line with democratic principles. It
has accommodated as many people's aspirations as possible,"
Thoyfoer said.
The Crescent Star Party (PBB) also has inaugurated a poll
monitoring network called Aksi Pemilihan Umum (APU). It comprises
young members of the party.
"We have established the network in 327 regional branches. The
aim is to watch out for violations before, during and after the
elections," Abdul Rahman Saleh, one of PBB's leaders, said in a
seminar on election monitoring in Jakarta on Friday.
"The more poll watchdogs the better. It's better for a party
not to seek to win alone, but to seek fair play," he said.
In the town of Sampang on Madura island, East Java, PPP deputy
secretary-general Saleh Khalid retorted allegations that the
party was a part of the New Order because it was established
during the regime's rule.
"We were one of the New Order's victims. We lost many of our
votes because of election-rigging by the New Order regime," Saleh
said. PPP is an amalgamation of Muslim parties.
He expressed guarded optimism that PPP would meet its target
of winning 22.5 percent of votes, as long as the elections are
free of cheating. (21/edt/amd)