PPP chairman threatens to remove vocal legislators

PPP chairman threatens to remove vocal legislators

JAKARTA (JP): The beleaguered newly re-elected chairman of the
United Development Party (PPP), Ismail Hasan Metareum, yesterday
broke his promise not to dismiss his critics in the House of
Representatives (DPR).

"I can no longer guarantee that there will be no removals (of
DPR members from the PPP)," Ismail Hasan told journalists
yesterday.

Shortly after he was re-elected at a party congress here last
week, Ismail Hasan said he had no plan to recall PPP legislators,
such as Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Matori Abdul Djalil, who had
turned against his leadership.

Both Bintang and Matori entered the race for the PPP
chairmanship and attempted to exploit Ismail Hasan's numerous
weaknesses to win support for themselves.

Bintang is also well known for his stinging criticism of many
of the government's initiatives. He has time and again
embarrassed the conservative PPP with his criticism of state
policies.

Earlier this year, he was reprimanded by the PPP leadership
which considered his comments on certain government policies as
overstepping the party line.

Matori, the PPP's outgoing secretary general, and Bintang have
said they were prepared to quit their legislative posts if Ismail
Hasan should sack them.

"Only those who thirst for publication would announce they are
prepared to be withdrawn," Ismail Hasan said reacting to Matori
and Bintang's statements.

Defending his change of mind, Ismail Hasan said he meant to
remind PPP legislators that they have to be more responsible in
what they are saying.

"I personally encourage every DPR member from PPP to be
outspoken but they should master the details of every issue they
raise," he said. "No more empty talking because they are
representing the people."

Harmony

He noted that he had never removed a DPR member because he
always focused on harmony to improve the image of the party,
which has been ridden with factional conflicts.

Now that the party is becoming solid, he said, discipline must
come first. He added that he would not hesitate to punish any
party member who violated the rule.

In the latest development on the continuing dissension in the
PPP, dozens of Bintang's supporters in the Central Java city of
Surakarta (Solo) disappointed by Ismail Hasan's re-election have
established Pro-democracy Islam Community, or Prodem.

The community's spokesman Trianto Heri Suryanto said the group
hopes to help people channel their wishes because many Moslem
youths are pessimistic about the PPP's ability under Ismail Hasan
to push for democratization as people demanded.

He said the new forum will prepare young cadres who are able
to develop the Moslem-dominated PPP into a more dynamic political
organization.

"People can channel their aspirations through this forum
without abandoning PPP," he said.

Bintang has congratulated Ismail Hasan for his re-election,
but charged that the success was a result of a conspiracy between
the outgoing executive board and the government, which wanted the
incumbent chairman to remain at the helm. (pan/har)