J

akarta: Ahead of the United Development Party’s (PPP) national meeting, party chairman Suryadharma Ali has called on cadres to improve the party’s image to win the hearts of the people.

The Islamist PPP is set to organize a national meeting at the Lirboyo boarding school in Kediri, East Java, between Feb. 21-23.

“Party cadres are being asked to build a positive image to help the party recruit new members ahead of the 2014 election. We are targeting the recruitment of 12 million new members,” said Muhammad Arwani Thomafi, a PPP leader, on Sunday.

Suryadharma also asked party cadres to work harder and hand in hand to make the party solid, Antara reported.

At the party’s meeting in Bandung in July last year, PPP leaders agreed to make the party the home of all Indonesian Muslims. So far, the PPP competes with other Islamic oriented political parties to win people’s support.

Suryadharma recently made a blunder by terming the Shia community heretical. His statement is likely to affect the PPP’s vote gains in the 2014 election. Suryadharma, who is the Religious Affairs Minister, also irritated the Ahmadiyah community by calling for the disbandment of the sect.