PKB leader's seat left vacant

PKB leader's seat left vacant

JAKARTA: The Assembly deputy speaker's seat that is reserved
for the leader of the conflict-ridden National Awakening Party
(PKB) will be left vacant at the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) until the party's internal rift has been resolved.

The Assembly deputy speaker's seat from PKB went to its chief,
Matori Abdul Djalil, until he was appointed defense minister by
President Megawati Soekarnoputri in August. Traditionally, most
of the eight MPR deputy speakers are chiefs of the major
political parties.

The problem became complicated after the party's board of
patrons fired Matori for disloyalty when he supported impeachment
of then president Abdurrahman Wahid, PKB's chief patron.

Matori was replaced by Alwi Sihab but Matori insists his
dismissal was illegal and has stuck to his claim that he remains
the legitimate PKB chief.

Meanwhile the enraged Alwi Sihab camp accused the Assembly of
meddling in the party's internal affairs by refusing its
candidate, Cholil Bisri, and leaving the seat vacant.

"The MPR Speaker should have installed Cholil Bisri in place
of Matori," said Erman Suparno, PKB faction secretary at the
Assembly.

"Choosing a replacement for Matori is the party's prerogative
and the Assembly leadership has no right to reject him (Cholil),"
he added. --JP