Reconciliation among PKB factions possible

Reconciliation among PKB factions possible

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The possibility for reconciliation between two rival groups of
the National Awakening Party (PKB) got a boost as Indonesia's
largest Muslim organization Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), the base
organization of the party, has asked for a dialog between the
factions.

Chairman of NU Hasyim Muzadi said on Saturday that the
organization will facilitate the dialog between the rival groups
soon, perhaps as early as Thursday this week.

"We will try to be the mediator and find more alternatives to
end the internal conflict of the party," Hasyim told journalists
after meeting Vice President Hamzah Haz in Malang, East Java.

"The two factions consist of NU followers, so we will offer
them to have a joint special congress or to find a way to
eliminate the internal problems," he said as quoted by Antara.

However, he reminded the media that NU did not expect the
opposing groups to take orders from the NU, and that they must
find a solution that satisfies them, because NU technically has
no authority over them and is not a political organization, even
though the core of the PKB originated from NU followers.

The party's conflict began following the downfall of former
president Abdurrahman Wahid, who was the former chairman of NU
and the party's chief patron.

Aburrahman sacked Matori Abdul Djalil from his post as
chairman of the party because the latter chose to support
Megawati Soekarnoputri's ascension as President replacing
Abdurrahman, and in return has been appointed as the minister of
defense in Megawati's administration.

Abdurrahman then appointed Alwi Shihab, former minister of
foreign affairs, to lead the party until the special congress --
scheduled to be held in Yogyakarta on Jan. 17 -- elects a new
chairman.

However, Matori insists that he still is the legitimate
chairman and will hold his own version of the PKB's special
congress with his own group of PKB followers in Jakarta on Jan.
14. He reportedly claimed that Megawati will officially open his
congress.

Both Matori and Alwi have received criticism for turning to
the government for support -- a common practice during the
authoritarian New Order era of president Soeharto.

NU Secretary General Muhyiddin Arubusman told The Jakarta Post
on Sunday that Hasyim met Megawati on Friday night at the
President's official residence to discuss, among other issues,
the internal conflict with PKB.

"It was a bit funny, because Matori visited the president just
a few minutes after pak Hasyim, so finally the two met the
President together. I don't know what they spoke about,"
Muhyiddin said, adding that he could not say whether it was a
sign of reconciliation.

Muhyiddin said there will be a meeting between the PKB
representatives from Abdurrahman's side and the NU spiritual
leaders from Langitan in East Java on Monday, and there is a
possibility Matori will attend that meeting.

When Hasyim was asked about his meeting with the President, he
just said that the President "expressed deep concern over the
internal conflict of the party."

It was also reported on Saturday that there is a possibility
for Matori to join the United Development Party (PPP), the
largest Muslim-based party in the country, headed by Vice
President Hamzah.

One of the PPP deputy chairmen Tosari Widjaja said that it is
the prerogative of Matori if he chooses to return to PPP. Before
the establishment of the PKB by Abdurrahman in 1998, Matori was a
PPP member.