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Senior PPP members give nod to Romy
Two rival groups in the United Development Party (PPP) are striving for legitimacy after the government issued a decree confirming the contested appointment of new chairman Muhammad âRomyâ Romahurmuziy
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wo rival groups in the United Development Party (PPP) are striving for legitimacy after the government issued a decree confirming the contested appointment of new chairman Muhammad 'Romy' Romahurmuziy.
Romy, who led a splinter group within the PPP to defy former party chairman Suryadharma Ali, held a muktamar (national congress) on Oct. 15 in Surabaya, East Java, garnering support from more than two-thirds of the party's regional members for his chairmanship.
Although the congress and Romy's appointment are still being outlawed by other internal bodies in the party, newly inaugurated Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has issued a ministerial decree recognizing the changes in the structure of PPP's central board with Romy as the new party chief.
The decree was revealed during a harsh plenary session at the House of Representatives in which Romy's loyalists in the PPP faction contested the illegal participation of the party in the establishment of House commissions and internal bodies.
Romahurmuziy said that he would report Suryadharma to the National Police if the latter still claimed to be part of the party's central board.
'[The National Police] must obey the government's decision and should not issue any kind of permit to anyone who claims that they are acting on behalf of the PPP's central executive board,' he said at a press conference on Wednesday, referring to Suryadharma's plan to hold another congress to contest the Surabaya congress.
Suryadharma and other internal bodies of the party earlier said that they would carry on with plans to hold the congress on Thursday.
Romy further said that Surya-dharma was now only a regular member of the party.
A rift in the party emerged after Suryadharma gave the party's official support to former presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his Red-and-White Coalition of political parties.
Suryadharma, who has been named a suspect in a haj scandal, was later told to step down by Romy's group.
Romy announced his endorsement of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's Great Indonesia Coalition after the Surabaya congress and finally secured party executive Lukman Hakim Saifuddin as religious affairs minister.
Also on Wednesday, Suryadharma's lawyer, Andreas Nahot Silitonga, said that they planned to file a lawsuit with the State Administrative Court (PTUN) regarding the issuance of the ministerial decree.
Andreas further said that initially they wanted to report Romy to the police for the Surabaya congress, but following the issuance of the decree they had shifted their strategy.
'The development in the Law and Human Rights Ministry made us decide to delay submitting our initial report to the police, and we will focus instead on the lawsuit at the administrative court,' he told reporters.
The party's council member Machfudhoh Aly Ubaid told The Jakarta Post that if Romy had received approval from the government, then there should be no national congress on Oct. 30.
'It is already legitimate if it comes from the ministry,' she said, adding that sharia assembly chairman Maimun Zubair himself had acknowledged Romy's legitimacy as the party chairman.
'If [any of the disputing parties] want to proceed with a meeting, the forum is not a national congress,' she said.
PPP sharia board deputy head Fahrurrozi Ishaq added that there was nothing any members of the party could do to reverse the ministry's decision.
'That's the right and domain of the ministry. What could we say?' he told the Post.
Therefore, Fahrurrozi implored all party members to accept the fact that Romy was the PPP's new chairman.
'If [all party elements] want to unite, then just accept [the government's decision] as Muslims who want the best [for the party],' he said. (ask)
PPP conflict
* Sept. 9, 2014: An executive meeting at PPP headquarters votes in favor of dismissing party chairman Suryadharma Ali, who has led the party since 2007, and appoints deputy chairman Emron Pangkapi ' a staunch opponent of Suryadharma ' to head the party.
* Sept. 12, 2014: Party secretary-general Muhammad Romahurmuziy and three party deputies ' Emron, Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin and Suharso Monoarfa ' are fired by Suryadharma, who says the four officials severely violated the party's constitution by attempting to fire him.
Suryadharma appoints Syaifullah Tamliha as secretary-general and four new deputies ' Dimyati Natakusumah, Hasrul Azwar, Masykur Hasyim and Epyardi Asda ' soon after the dismissals.
* Sept. 15, 2014: PPP executive board deputy secretary-general Ichsan Muchsin says that Emron's appointment as chairman, replacing former chairman and graft suspect Suryadharma, is valid.
He says the executive board had instructed Emron to register new PPP officials with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to obtain legal standing.
* Sept. 25, 2014: An internal council within the PPP decides to maintain the leadership of Suryadharma, following attempts to unseat him after he was named a graft suspect.
Council head Chozin Chumaidy says Suryadharma's ousting is unconstitutional.
* Oct. 11, 2014: The party's council orders the two rival factions to hold an islah (reconciliation) and to plan a muktamar (national congress) through a consensus.
* Oct. 15, 2014: Embattled PPP opens its eighth muktamar in Surabaya, East Java, despite the refusal of Suryadharma to acknowledge the validity of the congress.
* Oct. 16, 2014: A faction of the PPP appoints Romahurmuziy as party chairman at the Surabaya muktamar.
The congress, which successfully farms a quorum, unanimously appoints Romahurmuziy to replace Suryadharma, who is facing a graft charge from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
* Oct. 21, 2014: In a move aimed at hitting back at his party opponents, Suryadharma tells branch representatives that rival faction leader Romahurmuziy has been named chairman in an illegal congress.
Claiming to have the support of the party's sharia board head, Maimoen Zubair, Suryadharma urges the executive board leaders to attend a muktamar on Oct. 30 in Jakarta.
Source: The Jakarta Post
