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Embattled PPP chairman Suryadharma defies suspension
Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said on Sunday he was still United Development Party (PPP) chairman, saying a decision to suspend him taken during the party's national leaders meeting (Rapimnas) on Saturday evening was illegitimate
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eligious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said on Sunday he was still United Development Party (PPP) chairman, saying a decision to suspend him taken during the party's national leaders meeting (Rapimnas) on Saturday evening was illegitimate.
'A Rapimnas cannot be used to dismiss a party chairman,' Suryadharma said on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co.
He was speaking on the sidelines of his meeting with a PPP senior leader, KH Maimun Zubair, in Sarang, Rembang, Central Java. Gerindra Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto was also present at the meeting.
The Rapimnas also reaffirmed the decision made by a party executive leaders meeting on Friday to cancel a PPP-Gerindra coalition declared by Suryadharma that same day.
Suryadharma said the Rapimnas, called for by a number of senior PPP officials, was a misstep.
'If they wanted to topple a chairman, they could do it only in one forum, namely an extraordinary national congress [Muktamar]," he said.
Suryadharma went on to say that as he was still the party chairman, he would continue to shape PPP policy. 'The coalition [with the Gerindra Party to support Prabowo's presidential bid] will continue,' he said. Prabowo decline to comment. (idb/ebf)
