Yusril to settle dispute between PKB factions

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.