PKB renames Matori and Muhaimin top officials

PKB renames Matori and Muhaimin top officials

SURABAYA (JP): The first congress of the National Awakening
Party (PKB) wound up on Thursday with Matori Abdul Djalil and
Muhaimin Iskandar reappointed as party chairman and secretary-
general for the next five years.

Vice President Megawati officially declared the congress
closed, with a call for the party to work together with all parts
of the nation to uphold a spirit of nationalism.

"PKB with its religion-based supporters is highly appreciated
for its nationalist vision," Megawati, who is chairwoman of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said.

She also called on the nation to avoid blaming the nation's
current woes solely on past regimes, saying this could cut off
certain episodes of the country's history.

"We'd rather learn the best things from the past and throw out
the bad ones," she told congress attendants packing the Sukolilo
haj dormitory.

Earlier, in the party's political message read by party
executive John Wuwu, the PKB reminded the nation of the danger of
elements of the New Order.

"PKB is very concerned about an effort to topple the
government since any new government would experience the same
things," the message said.

Outside the venue, at least 100 members of the Indonesian
Islamic Student Movement (PMII) staged a rally demanding Megawati
remain vigilant of the return of New Order elements.

In the morning session, reelected party chairman Matori
announced the party's board of executives. Several names from
outside Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim
organization and the establisher of the PKB, were included.

"But, the composition is yet complete. It will be finalized in
November," he said.

He admitted that Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is
also minister of mines and energy, had been proposed to become
the party's deputy chairman but was waiting for his retirement
from the Army in November.

A former chairman of Pemuda Muhammadiyah, the youth wing of
the country's second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah,
Chabib Chirzin, was elected to the party's executive. Another
Muhammadiyah activist, Sugiat A.S, was appointed to the
legislative body.

PKB also named Nico Krisnanto, a Catholic and Chinese
Indonesian businessman, as its deputy treasurer.

Foreign minister Alwi Shihab was reappointed the party's
deputy chairman, while State Minister of Women's Empowerment
Khofifah Indar Parawansa was chosen as a member of the party's
supervisory body.

Matori, who is deputy speaker of the People's Consultative
Assembly, was named by the party's new chief patron President
Abdurrahman Wahid on Wednesday night.

In Jakarta, political observers labeled PKB's selection of its
chairman another setback to the practice of democracy in the
country. They even likened the way incumbent Matori Abdul Djalil
was renamed to the way Golkar named its chairmen under the New
Order regime of former president Soeharto.

Sociologist La Ode Ida from the Center for Regional
Development Studies said by choosing President Abdurrahman Wahid
as chairman of the party's influential board of patrons, PKB had
moved to declare itself the ruling party.

"This is definitely a reproduction of the New Order regime and
maybe worse, because, unlike Soeharto, Abdurrahman clearly
emerges as the sole decision maker within the PKB," Ida said on
Thursday.

Another political observer, Arbi Sanit, said NU's domination
over PKB would hinder the party's effort to become "open".

"Its wish to emerge an open party remains jargon. It is still
an exclusive party," Arbi remarked. (jun/nur/dja)