PPP chairman Ismail refuses to step down

JAKARTA (JP): United Development Party (PPP) chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum brushed aside demands yesterday for him to step down, saying he would only leave the post at the end of his term.

Speaking to reporters an hour after his supporters regained control over the party's headquarters from a dissenting group which demanded his resignation, Ismail affirmed his commitment to stay on as chairman until the end of his term which is signified by the holding of a party congress.

"I was elected as party chairman during PPP's 1994 congress and will only return the mandate to party members in the next congress," he said.

Ismail, who is better known as Buya, acknowledged that there were demands to move up the congress, which is currently scheduled for 1999.

"The decision, whether or not to have the party congress ahead of schedule, will be made in the upcoming leadership meeting slated for June 26," he said.

"Such an early party congress is needed to anticipate the government's plans for the next general election," he added.

President B.J. Habibie said Saturday that the next general election would be held as early as May next year.

Invade

Thousands of Ismail's supporters invaded the PPP headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, at 2 p.m. yesterday and took control of the party's secretariat within a few minutes.

The party headquarters had been "occupied" by a group of 300 dissenting party members since Monday.

The group, calling itself the PPP Reform Committee, demanded party leaders hold an extraordinary congress to elect a new chairman to replace Ismail, no later than June 30. The congress is currently scheduled for August 1999. The group also asked Ismail to step down.

Ismail dismissed the allegations that the PPP executive board had failed to satisfy the people's reform movement and maintained support for then president Soeharto.

"It's not true if people say that PPP had always wanted Soeharto as president."

"The PPP faction at the House of Representatives, together with other factions, formally asked Pak Harto to step down," he said.

The group had earlier accused Ismail of manipulating the party into supporting the renomination of Soeharto for president in March, while ignoring 20 out of 27 provincial councils, which were against the decision. (imn)