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.