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.