'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.