PKB elects Abdurrahman as its chief patron

PKB elects Abdurrahman as its chief patron

By Ainur R. Sophiaan and Ahmad Junaidi

SURABAYA (JP): The ongoing congress of the National Awakening
Party (PKB) was practically over as President Abdurrahman Wahid
was unanimously elected on Wednesday as the party's chief patron
with incumbent chairman Matori Abdul Djalil almost certain to
retain his post.

In a plenary session presided over by outgoing chairman of the
party's Board of Patrons Makruf Amin, the participants agreed to
name Gus Dur, the President's popular name, for the chief patron
post.

"Thank you and I appreciate it," Abdurrahman told participants
at the party congress which will last until July 28.

He said he wished to see PKB emerge as a modern party which
could solve its internal problems through its own strengths, even
though the party is promoted by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim
organization, once dubbed a traditional group.

The PKB was founded on 23 July 1998 by Abdurrahman and others.
The party's establishment was announced at Abdurrahman's
residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta. Gus Dur was NU chairman at
that time.

During his speech on Wednesday night, Abdurrahman unveiled his
support for Matori's chairmanship bid, saying other candidates
were not available.

He claimed that he is still needs Matori's closest rival Alwi
Shihab to serve as the minister of foreign affairs. The only
other candidate, Mustofa Bisri, refused to run for the post.

"So Matori is the only one. But he should fulfill two
requirements," said Abdurrahman, who flew here from Jakarta after
presiding over a Cabinet meeting. Abdurrahman said Matori should
separate private funds from the party's and exclude several names
from the party's executive body. The names recommended for the
executive posts include Muhammadiyah figure Chabib Chirzin.

Among the rights of the party's chief patron is to approve of
the candidates for the chairmanship post.

"The PKB does not belong to the NU alone. The PKB and the NU
should be separated," he contended.

He said he has also offered membership of the PKB to an army
lieutenant general but the response should wait until the
general's retirement in November.

Abdurrahman did not say it, but it was clear that he was
referring to Lt. Gen. (ret) Bambang Susilo Yudoyono, who is
Minister of Mines and Energy, the only military figure touted as
a member of the prospective PKB executive.

Minister of Forestry and Plantations Nur Mahmudi Ismail and
Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises
Zarkasih Noor promised to help the PKB although they refused to
join the party.

Nur Mahmudi has just resigned as chairman of the Justice Party
while Zarkasih is deputy chairman of the United Development Party
(PPP).

Earlier in the plenary session, the chairman of the party's
East Java chapter Choirul Anam proposed to the plenary session
that Gus Dur should be elected unanimously.

At least 10 provincial chapters agreed to the proposal, before
Makruf finally offered all participants to support Abdurrahman's
nomination.

According to the congress' agenda, the election of the
chairmen of the legislative body and the executive body should
take place on Thursday.

A source said the election was accelerated up to fit in with
the President's agenda.

The congress agreed earlier on Wednesday to a regulation
providing that the chief of the Board of Patrons would appoint
the party chairman after consulting with the leaders of
provincial chapters.

According to this regulation, which was approved after a
fierce debate, the chief patron is assisted by five executives
from five different regions, namely Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan,
Bali-East and West Nusa Tenggara, and Sulawesi-Maluku-Irian Jaya,
in forming the party's Executive Board.

Executives from the party's East Indonesian chapters earlier
threatened to walk out from the session if the chief patron was
authorized to select the party chairman. But the PKB's outgoing
deputy chairman Cholil Bisri managed to calm them down.