PPP denies exodus of supporters in E. Java
PPP denies exodus of supporters in E. Java
JAKARTA (JP): Executives of the East Java chapter of the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP) has denied reports that 454 local supporters have jumped ship and pledged their allegiance to Golkar.
Ahmat Dhofier, the secretary of the Bondowoso branch of PPP, said that a majority of the party supporters, who reportedly declared their new affiliation at a gathering on Thursday, were tricked by certain individuals displeased with the party.
"They went to that gathering thinking there was going to be a reading of the Koran led by Nahdlatul Ulama (A moslem organization), but it turned out to be the reading of a statement proclaiming a switch to Golkar," Ahmat was quoted by Antara as saying in Bondowoso on Saturday.
Press reports said that while attending a Golkar gathering to commemorate a historical event last month, several PPP members read a statement announcing they were switching their allegiance to Golkar.
Ahmat contended that the "ceremony" was organized by two- former PPP supporters, H. Anshori and P. Sun Bahrawi, who held personal grudges against the party.
Ahmat claimed that most of the PPP members present were unaware of the planned reading and had not switched to Golkar.
"Even if there are people wishing to jump the ship, it certainly wouldn't be as many as that," he said.
He then lamented the practice of hijacking party supporters at a time where "harmonization of politics" was needed, with the general election just around the corner.
Some 120 million Indonesians will be eligible to vote in the general election next year.
Regardless of whether the reports of exodus were true, this is the second time this year that PPP voters have publicly switched sides.
Earlier last month as many as 2,000 PPP supporters crossed over to join the Golkar camp in Sukabumi, West Java. Some reports put the figure at 3,000 people.
Until the last general election in 1992, PPP with its Moslem grass roots support was Golkar's main political opponent. This position is being challenged by the Christian-nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), which has been undergoing reforms and becoming increasingly appealing to voters.
Some observers have said that PPP, formerly known for its docility and low-profile approach in politics, has recently begun to respond to the challenge by introducing fresh maneuvering. For instance, some PPP chapters last year threatened to boycott the general elections unless the government guarantees a fair and honest process.
Golkar, PPP and PDI will compete for 425 of the 500 seats of the House of Representatives; the remaining 75 seats will be allocated to the Armed Forces automatically.
PPP currently holds 62 seats in the House while PDI holds 56, and Golkar 282 seats.
PPP chief Ismail Hasan Metareum branded the "hijacking" tactics as unethical. He recently expressed concern about certain political organizations which are willing to go so low as to accept "defectors" through unethical means. (mds)