Saifullah ready to lead PKB

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Minister for the Development of Disadvantaged Regions Saifullah Yusuf has announced his bid to contest the leadership race of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in April.

He said on Saturday he is ready to quit the Cabinet should he be elected as new leader of the party founded by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization.

"If I have to choose, I will choose to lead the PKB over Cabinet membership. I will abide by the decision of the party's congress," Saifullah told The Jakarta Post.

He further said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has stated several times that "as part of the government we should not mix party interests with the state's".

Preparing himself to vie for the leadership of the PKB, the minister said he has been in contact with the party's chapters across Indonesia to solicit support for his nomination.

Although no branch has officially nominated him as a candidate, Saifullah expressed his certainty that he would receive strong support in the race.

PKB, the country's third largest party in term of votes it garnered in the 2004 general election, but the sixth biggest faction in the House of Representatives in term of seats, is planning to hold a congress to elect its new leader on April 16 in Semarang, Central Java.

Alwi Shihab and Saifullah were suspended as PKB leader and secretary-general respectively after they joined the Cabinet of Susilo, whose presidential bid had not been endorsed by the party.

Currently, Alwi is the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare. The decision to suspend Saifullah and Alwi was made after the two were sworn in as Susilo's Cabinet members on Oct. 21, 2004.

Aside from Saifullah, other figures, including current PKB co- leader and former defense minister Mahfud MD and deputy House speaker Muhaimin Iskandar, will also run for the party's top post.

Saifullah declined to disclose the details of his bid to lead the PKB or his motive for running.

"As a PKB leader I feel responsible for developing the party to prepare for the 2009 elections. We have real constituents and we should maintain them," he remarked.

Analysts say Saifullah was given his ministerial post as a "present" from Susilo for his significant contribution to the latter's victory in the July 5 presidential election and the Sept. 20 runoff.

As the current leader of Ansor, the 40 million-strong NU's youth wing, Saifullah is believed to have managed to mobilize support for the pairing of Susilo and Jusuf Kalla in the elections.

Saifullah had been a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and among Megawati Soekarnoputri's inner circle when she was elected as vice president in 1999.

He quit the PDI-P and joined the PKB after his uncle, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who still controls the PKB, was unseated from power in 2001, and Megawati took over the country's top post.