PKB leadership conflict intensifies
Endy M. Bayuni and Abu Hanifah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The leadership feud within the National Awakening Party (PKB) intensified on Wednesday when a national working conference involving supporters of Matori Abdul Djalil gave him a free hand to fire and appoint party leaders in PKB regional offices.
The conference ended with a statement alluding to calls for reconciliation between the Matori camp and the party majority who support the chairmanship of Alwi Shihab.
But the conference's real intention seemed to be to give Matori a legitimacy to his chairmanship, which has become shaky since the majority of party executives rejected his leadership in July.
"The chairman should evaluate and renew the faction leaders of PKB in the legislative body in the central, provincial and regency levels," stated one of the recommendations read out by Ircham Abdurrahim, a delegate from Central Java, at the end of the three-day conference.
The conference reaffirmed the call for an extraordinary congress before March next year, saying it was necessary to bring about reconciliation within the party, between the Matori camp and his rivals, most notably Alwi Shihab.
PKB, Indonesia's fourth largest political party with its prime support base being the 30 million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization, split following the fall of president Abdurrahman Wahid, the party's patron chief, in July.
Matori, who had been chairman of the party and was deputy chairman of the MPR, supported Abdurrahman's ouster and the appointment of Megawati Soekarnoputri as the new president. While it cost Matori his standing in the party, he was richly rewarded with a Cabinet post as minister of defense.
Abdurrahman has since sacked Matori from the party and appointed his former foreign minister, Alwi Shihab as the new chairman.
Matori however, defied the order to step aside, and formed his own faction within PKB, counting on his loyal supporters.
Separately, Muhaimin Iskandar, a staunch supporter in Alwi's camp deplored the conference, saying that the conference was illegal and a violation of the organization's constitution.
In a press briefing, Muhaimin said that Matori was given a chance to admit guilt for what he did, otherwise the PKB would take Matori to court.
"He still has time, until Nov. 15, to admit guilt," the PKB faction speaker in DPR said. Matori will be sued for using PKB's attributes unofficially during the conference.
Muhaimin also accused People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais of interfering in PKB domestic affairs by stalling with regard to the appointment of a new deputy speaker in the MPR that was left vacant by Matori. PKB officials had earlier nominated Cholil Bisri for the post.
Chotibul Umam Wiranu, Muhaimin's colleague in Alwi's camp even challenged Matori to establish his own party, without using the PKB name.
Regarding Matori's extraordinary congress plan, another of Alwi's supporters, Effendy Choirie said they had not yet made any plans to hold a congress to secure Alwi's position as he is still technically the acting chairman in PKB.
"Pak Alwi will lead PKB until the coming congress in 2005. We have not yet discussed any acceleration of the party's congress schedule," Effendy told the Post.