PKB won't recall dissenting lawmakers

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar asserted on Friday he would not dismiss or recall any dissenting PKB legislators who had opposed the party's national congress last month.

Muhaimin, also a House of Representatives deputy speaker, made the statement because he was perceiving fears from these PKB members that he would recall them from their legislative posts.

Despite strong demands for their dismissal, Muhaimin said having dissenting members was common and he would not recall them unless they kept on creating negative public opinion to the level that it affected the party's consolidation process.

"They're having this fight simply because they're afraid of being dismissed. Like AS Hikam, who probably fears that I'd dump him for betraying me after everything I've done to help him," said Muhaimin, referring to the PKB lawmaker at House Commission I who supports the opposing Alwi Shihab's camp.

PKB holds 52 seats in the House.

The party slipped into a chronic dispute between supporters of Muhaimin and Alwi, following the party's congress last month that elected Muhaimin as the new chairman, and former president Abdurrahman Wahid as chief patron.

Alwi, the Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, called the congress illegitimate as it did not involve him as PKB chairman, or State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions Syaifullah Yusuf as PKB secretary general.

The two were suspended after joining President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet, whose presidential bid was not supported by the PKB. Alwi and Syaifullah have questioned the suspension because holding dual positions was not regulated at all in the party's statutes.

"But they, along with other four PKB members who were expected to be appointed ministers had previously agreed in a plenary meeting to resign party posts should they become ministers. They also signed an agreement letter," Muhaimin said.

Alwi later filed a lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court on the grounds that the party had failed to inform the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights about the suspension during the maximum 30 day period, and thus the leadership remains in his hands.

Despite this, Muhaimin submitted the party's new line up at the ministry for registration. However, the ministry has asked all disputing parties to resolve their conflict first, and that it would not make any legal registration pending a court decision.

"The submission of the party structure is for administrative reasons only. There's no legal element there," Muhaimin argued.

He said, however, that the party would take unspecified actions against PKB members and senior clerics who support Alwi in East Java, the party's main stronghold, who have held exclusive meetings and are calling for their own congress.

"These clerics have three hidden agendas; to keep Alwi and Syaifullah in the Cabinet, to (maintain) local conflict in East Java, and to prevent PKB from being an open party as they wish to keep the PKB as an Islamic party forever," said Muhaimin.