Rivalry heightens as PKB opens leadership race

Rivalry heightens as PKB opens leadership race

Blontank Poer And Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

Rivalry between groups contesting the leadership of the
National Awakening Party (PKB) heightened on the first day of its
three-day national congress here on Saturday, which was opened by
party chief patron and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid.

Just hours after the opening ceremony, Gus Dur's opposing camp
publicly announced the nomination of little-known cleric Ma'ruf
Amin to challenge the PKB chief patron in his bid to retain his
current powerful post on the syuro (consultative) board.

The nomination of Ma'ruf was supported by influential clerics
of Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), including Mas Subadar, Ubaidillah Faqih,
Abdurrahman Chudlori, Nurhuda Jazuli, Anwar Iskandar and
Muhaiminan Gunardho, who all supported Gus Dur in his failed bid
to contest the chairmanship in the powerful law-making (syuria)
body of the country's biggest Muslim organization last December.

"Gus Dur should be given an honorary place as chairman of
mustasyar (PKB's advisory board) instead of syuro," Muhaiminan
told a news conference attended by Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Alwi Shihab.

Muhaiminan stopped short of declaring support for Saifullah
Yusuf, the suspended PKB secretary-general, who is vying for the
top leadership in the party's executive (tanfidziyah) board and
is the running mate of Ma'ruf, a PKB co-founder.

However, ahead of the congress these senior clerics had given
their backing for Saifullah, the current state minister for the
development of disadvantaged regions who also leads NU's youth
wing Ansor, to challenge rival candidates -- Muhaimin Iskandar,
Mahfudh MD and Ali Masykur Moesa, all close aides of Gus Dur.
In his speech to mark the opening of the congress at the
Girikusumo Islamic boarding school, some 30 kilometers east of
Semarang, Central Java, Gus Dur insisted that PKB must stick to
its policy of prohibiting party executives from serving in the
government and NU posts.

He said candidates must relinquish their government or NU
positions, should they wish to contest the PKB leadership race.

Gus Dur's statement was echoed by his bitter opponent and
current NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi who attended the opening
ceremony. He said executives of his 40 million-strong
organization and its autonomous bodies, including Ansor, were not
allowed to hold dual positions.

Both Gus Dur and Hasyim were responding to the nomination of
Saifullah, a strong contender in the race who was made non-active
along with Alwi Shihab as PKB secretary-general and chairman
respectively. The two were suspended after they joined President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet last October.

Separately, acting PKB chairman Mahfudh has announced a
coalition with another candidate Khofifah Indar Parawansyah to
contest the ongoing PKB race. On the sidelines of the opening
ceremony, Khofifah said Mahfudh, a relative newcomer in the PKB,
was the most eligible candidate to lead the party for the next
five years because he was the only one capable of articulating
Gus Dur's progressive vision.

Explaining his vision on Saturday, Mahfudh stressed that the
PKB, which declares itself to be an open and pluralist party,
must set a good example for the people in a bid to boost its
image. "Currently, many are not able to fight corruption and are
even involved in it. Therefore, the PKB itself must be a good
example."

Susilo, whose presidential bid was opposed by the PKB, was
scheduled to open the congress but failed to appear. According to
Mahfudh, the President did not attend because he wanted to
respect PKB's independence.

Meanwhile, the Gus Dur faction claimed to have received
support from 26 provincial and 310 regental branches of the
party. Leaders of the party branches held a meeting on Saturday
evening with Gus Dur at Patra Jasa Hotel, the venue of the
congress participated in by 33 provincial and 405 regental
branches across the country.

"We have issued a written statement to support the pairing of
Gus Dur and Muhaimin Iskandar to lead the PKB," Lukman Edy,
chairman of the party's Riau branch, said after the meeting.