NU, PKB fight over presidency
NU, PKB fight over presidency
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The executive meeting of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
opened on Tuesday evening amid a probable fierce battle over
presidential candidate with its patron organization Nahdlatul
Ulama.
Dozens of NU clerics who claimed to represent 30 provincial
chapters of the country's largest Muslim organization bluntly
asked PKB to name NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi as the party's
presidential candidate at the end of its three-day executive
meeting here.
The demand goes against the wish of PKB board of executives,
who have tacitly supported former president Abdurrahman Wahid's
comeback bid.
The clerics declared their position at the conclusion of a
two-day consultative meeting with PKB top brass at Sahid Jaya
Hotel here. The talks preceded the PKB executive meeting which is
taking place at Santika Hotel.
NU clerics, including former NU chairman Abdurrahman, better
known as Gus Dur, founded PKB in 1998 as a political vehicle of
the Muslim organization, which now boasts 45 million supporters.
PKB finished with the third most votes in the 1999 election,
but managed only to win 51 seats in the House of Representatives
to become the fourth largest faction behind the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle, Golkar Party and the United
Development Party.
A group of politicians from NU held a meeting last month to
discuss a possible alliance in the 2004 elections. No agreement
was reached during the meeting, except for Hasyim's call on NU
politicians, regardless of their party affiliation, to vote for
only one presidential candidate.
NU clerics also recommended on Tuesday that PKB consult NU and
Islamic boarding school leaders to decide a clear mechanism to
select candidates for executive and legislative posts.
Ali Maschan Musa, who chairs NU chapters in East Java, the
stronghold of both NU and PKB, denied allegations that the Muslim
organization opposed Abdurrahman's candidacy.
"The most important thing is there will not be only one
candidate proposed in the executive meeting. Participants in the
meeting must be given choices," Ali told reporters after the
meeting.
PKB chairman Alwi Shihab and his deputy Mahfud MD attended the
consultative meeting.
In response to the clerics' demand, Alwi said the final say
would rest with PKB executives.
"The decision (on whether Muzadi's candidacy is endorsed)
depends on the provincial chapters of PKB," said Alwi, the
foreign minister during Abdurrahman's tenure between 1999 and
2001.
Meanwhile, Abdurrahman' loyalists tried on Tuesday to win
support from influential NU clerics known as kyai khos, who were
already in Jakarta to attend the PKB meeting.
The clerics normally do not hold formal positions in NU, but
their word will always be taken into account thanks to their
loyal followers among the grassroots.
One of the kyai khos Masduki Machfudz suggested that PKB delay
announcing its presidential candidate until the party's next
meeting slated for December. Announcing the presidential
candidate now will split PKB and NU, he said.
Postponing the announcement of the presidential candidates
would save time and energy, he added.
"It would be useless to waste time selecting a candidate if it
turned out to be a wrong decision, if he did not fit the
requirements stipulated in the presidential election bill"
Masduki said.
The bill, slated to be passed next month, requires that a
presidential candidate be of sound physical and mental health.
This will pose a stumbling block for Abdurrahman, who, despite
his charisma, has impaired eyesight.