Yusril to settle dispute between PKB factions

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With the judicial process in the long-standing dispute between the two camps in the National Awakening Party (PKB) still dragging on, the final say now lies with the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra.

Both the warring parties came to Yusril in a bid to block each other's path to winning the right to contest next year's general election.

Alwi Shihab, who chairs the PKB loyal to former president Abdurrahman Wahid, led a top-notch delegation that included deputy chairmen Mahfud MD, Muhaimin Iskandar, AS Hikam and secretary-general Syaifullah Yusuf.

They submitted a number of documents required by the ministry to contest the 2004 election.

About an hour earlier, lawyers representing the PKB splinter group under Matori Abdul Djalil met Yusril to file an objection against the Alwi camp, who had registered their political grouping under the PKB name.

Alamsyah Hanafiah, who led the team of lawyers, said his clients demanded that the ministry disqualify Alwi's PKB as the court verdict over the conflict was not final yet. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the PKB under Alwi, upholding the decision of the Jakarta High Court which ruled that Matori was acting unlawfully in using the party's name, logo and anthem.

However, the verdict did not immediately settle the dispute as the court did not rule on which verdict should be used as Alwi's PKB is currently appealing to the Supreme Court in a different lawsuit over the same case. This lawsuit was also won by Matori.

The ministry's Director of Public Legal Administration, Zulkarnaen Yusuf said his office had not yet decided which camp was eligible to contest the election under the PKB banner.

"We'll hold a meeting on this issue on Thursday because we have yet to receive the verdict of the Supreme Court," he said.

Alwi said that he understood the ministry's decision. However, he said he still wanted the ministry to comply with the Supreme Court verdict.

"We have given every opportunity to Pak Matori. We have offered to make peace. We even agreed to give him a top post in the PKB but he rejected us every time. Instead, he insisted on continuing the legal fight," he remarked.

Alwi said his party would remain open to Matori should he want to rejoin Alwi's PKB.

Yusril promised to settle the case as fairly as possible.

"Both parties have called me. I assure them that we will be fair in settling the case," he said.

Yusril said that his office would comply with the Supreme Court verdict despite a possible legal challenge against it.

"A Supreme Court verdict must be executed despite any challenge from one of the conflicted parties," he said.

The dispute has dragged on following the dismissal of Matori as PKB chairman in 2001 by PKB chief patron Abdurrahman Wahid after the former attended the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 2001, which led to Gus Dur's removal as president.

Matori later set up another party with the same name.