PPP recruits scholars as political advisers

PPP recruits scholars as political advisers

JAKARTA (JP): The Moslem-oriented United Development Party
(PPP), which last week completed the line-up of its executive
board, means to embrace academics as its advisers.

The conflict-ridden party dropped its plan to form a research
and development section and will instead hold regular meetings
with its scholars to seek advice on how to implement its
programs.

"The scholars are grouped in a loose forum," PPP chairman
Ismail Hasan Metareum told journalists when announcing the new
top leadership.

Ismail Hasan declined to explain why his leadership did not
form the Council of Scholars as originally planned. "What we need
is regular meetings between us and the scholars," he said.

Last month's party congress elected the key personnel of the
central board of executives. Lower ranking officials in charge of
technical matters like general elections, training, and education
were elected only last week.

Ismail Hasan said 35 scholars have confirmed their intention
to attend the first meeting to be held here on Oct. 7.

PPP's plan to form the council of scholars came to the
forefront in the run-up of the congress partly because the public
was eager to see if outspoken and controversial figures like Sri
Bintang Pamungkas would be included.

The scholars are hoped to help improve PPP's performance in
the 1997 general election. PPP considers the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) a serious threat to its position as second
fiddle to the ruling Golkar.

Over the weekend, the outgoing party officials symbolically
transferred the party's treasure to the new leadership in a
ceremony at its headquarters.

The new personnel of the lower departments were mostly
scholars and professionals from the various organizational
factions making up the party. (pan)