'PPP Reformasi vows to be more vocal'

'PPP Reformasi vows to be more vocal'

Yogita Tahil Ramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United Development Party of Reform (PPP Reformasi) will learn
much from the mistakes committed by its rival PPP, which gave
younger members little chance to develop, a senior member of the
newly-founded party said.

Ghazali Abbas Adan, an Acehnese member of the People's
Consultative Assembly, said on Monday that members of PPP
Reformasi, a splinter group of the more established United
Development Party (PPP), would like to see the younger generation
in the party behave "more aggressively" and more open with one
another.

"We were not allowed to articulate our opinions in PPP... we
were always told to let the elders decide on crucial party
matters. The older members of the new PPP Reformasi will not let
our younger colleagues suffer, the way we were made to suffer by
PPP," Ghazali told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

"We will encourage our younger members to be more ambitious,
more vocal like our leader...Who knows, one day a future
president may arise from this party," Ghazali said.

PPP finished third in the 1999 elections and is currently
chaired by Vice President Hamzah Haz. Hamzah has repeatedly
denied that PPP Reformasi, led by noted Muslim cleric Zainuddin
MZ, emerged following a split within PPP.

The break-up came to a head after the decision by the PPP
executive board to delay the national congress to 2004 from its
original schedule in 2003.

Although he has been mentioned as a presidential candidate by
PPP Reformasi, the 45-year-old Zainuddin, who is famous for his
calming religious speeches on TV shows and before huge gatherings
nationwide, he still denies that he is a candidate.

After joining PPP less than a year ago, Zainuddin -- who
according to a number of PPP members is an "overambitious" man --
pushed hard for a political career and was later chosen by
disgruntled members of PPP to lead them in forming PPP Reformasi.

Djafar Badjeber, former chairman of the Jakarta provincial
chapter of PPP, said that Zainuddin was the right man for the
party's top job.

"Zainuddin has the ability to incorporate the teachings of
Islam and the management of the party. He is a visionary man and
is quite intelligent. The younger generation must be given a
chance to lead," Djafar said.

He noted that even as PPP is considering a lawsuit against PPP
Reformasi for using the Ka'bah party symbol and the PPP name, he
had no personal grudges against either Hamzah Haz or PPP.

Djafar added he was not concerned about PPP's final decision
that it would maintain elder members like Rusjdi Hamka, 66, or
Husni Thamrin, 62, in the making of crucial decisions.

"We have no personal grudges against Hamzah Haz, but that's
just not the way we wanted to go. We prefer to go with
Zainuddin's fresh ideas," Djafar said.

Zainuddin had said his religious belief had driven him to
nurturing a political career.

"I wish I could bring Islam into our political world... this
is something I have been studying since 1971, when I was a vocal
campaigner for the strong Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization
during the 1971 elections," Zainuddin told audiences during a
speech at the inauguration event for PPP Reformasi here on
Sunday.