PPP politicians set up `New NU'

PPP politicians set up `New NU'

JAKARTA (JP): A number of senior politicians of the United
Development Party (PPP) have established a new group called
"Nahdlatul Ummah" with the chief task of courting first time
voters in the next general election in 1997.

Dubbed by the press as the "New NU", its founders said the
group is not intended to denigrate the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), one
of the four factions in the PPP, which is currently embroiled in
the contest for the party's leadership.

"Nahdlatul Ummah" literally means the resurrection of the
people while "Nahdlatul Ulama" means the resurrection of
scholars.

"Nahdlatul Ummah is not at all linked to the NU or intended to
denigrate it," said A.M. Saefuddin, a PPP legislator, whose idea
it was to form the group. "We need this forum to collar first
time voters in the next election."

The plan was endorsed during a meeting in Jakarta on Saturday.
A number of other PPP politicians gave their approval, including
Ali Hardi Kiaidemak, Hadimulyo and Saleh Khalid, the Antara news
agency reported.

Saefuddin said neither the party nor any of its factions had
ever seriously tried to tap first time voters in past elections.

He said that with 27 million first time voters in 1997, the
party must pay attention to their needs. "We have to go to them,
escort them, instead of waiting for them to come to us."

He added that Nahdlatul Ummah is also expected to provide a
forum for people who want to carve careers in PPP without having
to be identified with any of the four factions -- NU, Muslimin
Indonesia, Perti and Sarekat Islam.

The party is scheduled to hold its congress on Aug. 28 in
Jakarta to decide on the new lineup of its leadership.

The NU, the largest of the four factions, has vowed that it
will wrest the chairmanship from the incumbent Ismail Hasan
Metareum, who hails from Muslimin Indonesia. (emb)