F

ollowing the dismissal of Suryadharma Ali as the chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), some of the party'€™s influential figures are being considered to replace him.

Ahmad Yani, lawmaker from the PPP, said on Friday that party executives such as vice chairman Emron Pangkapy, secretary-general Romahurmuziy, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and lawmaker Dimyati Natakusumah were deemed the strongest candidates for the party'€™s next chairman.

'€œSome PPP members at the House of Representatives have also mentioned my name as a candidate. We'€™ll find out who will replace Suryadharma in the party'€™s next national congress,'€ Ahmad told The Jakarta Post.

Ahmad added that the PPP would hold a national meeting on Sept. 23-24 to inaugurate Emron as acting chairman and to determine the date for the party'€™s next congress, in which a new leader would
be selected.

Calls for Suryadharma'€™s dismissal had mounted since the April 9 legislative election after he appeared in public with Gerindra Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto without the party'€™s consent.

Of the candidates shortlisted for PPP chairmanship, Emron, Lukman and Romahurmuziy opposed Suryadharma'€™s continued leadership, while Dimyati was in Suryadharma'€™s camp and Ahmad remained neutral.

An internal rift in the party reemerged following a meeting at PPP headquarters on Wednesday.

During the meeting the party'€™s executives had voted in favor of dismissing Suryadharma, who had led the party since 2007, as his corruption suspect status in a haj pilgrimage scandal was considered to be preventing him from conducting his duties as party leader.

Suryadharma, however, is ready to fight back. He declared on Friday that his dismissal in the meeting was unlawful. As he claims that he is still party chairman, he said that he dismissed the members in the meeting that had declared his dismissal, including Romahurmuziy, Emron, Lukman and another vice chairman Suharso Monoarfa.

Senior PPP politician Muhammad Rodja said he hoped the national congress would name a good and faithful party member to lead the PPP back to its basic identity as an Islamic party that made a big contribution to the nation.

'€œDuring Suryadharma'€™s tenure, the party'€™s principles were eroded,'€ Rodja said.

He added that in the Suryadhama era there were many members with promising potential from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Indonesian Muslims Party (Parmusi) who were not appreciated, while those who contributed less but who were closer to Suryadharma were given better treatment.

'€œThe PPP is a national asset and I hope our national congress can name a prominent chairman who can enhance that quality,'€ he said.

Ahmad added that despite the party'€™s commitment to the Prabowo-led Red-and-White Coalition, there was a possibility of changing coalition in the next government period. (Idb)