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Zulkifli clarifies Amien's harsh words at PAN congress
The camp of outgoing National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy chairman Zulkifli Hasan has clarified patron board chairman Amien Raisâ recent accusative statement, which he said was not intended to attack his rival Hatta Radjasa but to express his love to him
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he camp of outgoing National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy chairman Zulkifli Hasan has clarified patron board chairman Amien Rais' recent accusative statement, which he said was not intended to attack his rival Hatta Radjasa but to express his love to him.
'What Pak Amien said was an expression of Pak Amien's love from a father to his son,' Masfuk, a member of the party's advisory board, said in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Sunday.
Delivering his remarks during the opening ceremony of the party's congress on Saturday evening, Amien accused Hatta of lying when he went to meet then president-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and vice-president elect Jusuf Kalla at the residence of Nasdem Party chairman Surya Paloh and did not show up at a meeting held by the Red-and-White Coalition.
But Hatta clarified on Sunday that he and Zulkifli met the president and vice president to congratulate them after the Constitutional Court announced their victory in the July 9, 2014, presidential election. He also said that besides the fact Jokowi provided clarification on the meeting to the media, nothing secret occurred during the meeting.
According to Masfuk, Amien ' who has nominated Zulkifli to lead the party for the next five years ' had no intention of attacking Hatta but just wanted to give advice as though to his own son.
'The feeling of love is expressed wisely,' he said as quoted by kompas.com.
Separately, Abock Busup, delegate of the party's provincial chapter, accused Amien of being childish in uttering the harsh words against Hatta, saying that Amien in his capacity as party founder and patron board chairman should remain neutral in his treatment of the two chairman candidates.
'Pak Amien is childish. As party founder, he must not speak like that,' he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
He said many senior party members no longer had full respect for Amien and disregarded his words because of his frequent inconsistencies.
The tensions escalated at the congress, prompting the steering committee and the organizing committee to adjourn the event. A physical brawl began among the camps supporting the two candidates, leaving one participant with a head injury.
Following a meeting between the steering and organizing committees and the two candidates, they agreed to speed up the chairmanship election. According to the congress' agenda, the chairmanship election will be held on Monday. (rms)(++++)
