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