PKB factions await court ruling

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 05/08/2008 11:03 AM  |  National

One of the two split camps of the National Awakening Party (PKB) can register for the 2009 elections but which one depends on a court ruling, Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata said here Wednesday.

"Neither the ministry nor the General Elections Commission (KPU) has the right to appoint which one of the party's two camps are officially permitted to contest next year's election," Andi told reporters at the presidential office.

"The law stipulates such a conflict within a political party should be settled in court. I expect the court will be able to settle this immediately and not disrupt the election schedule."

Andi said the decision need not be issued before May 12, the due date of party registration at the KPU, because PKB has already been registered as a contestant in the election.

"As the due date is nearing, we should primarily ensure that the party is registered. But the decision on which camp will be allowed to contest the election should wait for the court ruling," he said.

The PKB -- the fifth-largest faction at the House of Representatives -- has been split into two rival factions: one led by dismissed party chairman Muhaimin Iskandar and the other by the party's chief patron Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid and daughter Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh Rahman, better know as Yenny Wahid.

The internal rift started when Muhaimin, who was dismissed earlier last month at the behest of Gus Dur, refused to obey his decision.

Both camps had separate extraordinary meetings in early May. Muhaimin's camp renamed the House deputy speaker as the party chairman and Azis Mansyur as the party's chief patron. Meanwhile, Gus Dur's camp named the former president as the chief patron and Ali Masykur Musa as the new party chairman.

The PKB secured 52 legislative seats in the 2004 legislative election, with East Java its main stronghold.

Muhaimin said after the extraordinary meeting that the current dispute would force PKB members to work harder to prevent it from losing votes in the 2009 elections.

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