PPP begins working meeting ahead of MPR special session

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) began a two- day national working meeting on Thursday, with officials expecting the party to give top party figures the freedom to maneuver in the fluid political situation expected to develop over the next few weeks.

When it closes its meeting here on Friday, the party will likely have adopted a similar wait-and-see approach to that of the Golkar Party, allowing its central executive board to make whatever adjustments may be deemed necessary to its position during the People's Consultative Assembly special session.

The PPP, the third largest party in the House of Representatives, has brought in representatives from all 30 of its branches for the meeting.

"However, the party is likely to leave all decisions and moves during the special session up to our central executive board and chairman," the party's secretary-general Alimarwan Hanan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He underlined that the main point of the meeting was to unite perceptions ahead of the special session and to listen to the aspirations of the party's branches across the country.

When asked about the possibility that party chairman Hamzah Haz may be receiving support to run for the vice presidency at the coming special session, Alimarwan said that the matter would not be explicitly dealt with at the meeting.

"We won't nominate any candidates for the vice presidency. The executive board will consider that during the special session," he remarked.

The country may see a final showdown at the special session, slated for Aug. 1, with the possibility of President Abdurrahman Wahid being replaced by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Should this transpire, Hamzah's name has been tipped as one of the possible candidates for the vice presidency.

The PPP is the fourth major party to convene a national working meeting ahead of the Assembly special session, after the National Mandate Party (PAN), Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Golkar party.

The meeting was opened by Hamzah Haz and its decisions will be officially announced on Friday.

"We will not push for a vice president to be named because we are still considering the current political moves ahead of the special session," Alimarwan remarked.(dja)