T

he Indonesian Muslim Brotherhood (Parmusi) has condemned the move by United Development Party (PPP) leader Djan Faridz to file a lawsuit against the government for not recognizing him as party chairman.

Usamah Hisyam, the general chairman of the organization that established the PPP along with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Islamic Union Party (PSII) and the Islamic Education Union (Perti) in 1973, said that Djan had shown ill-will toward the party.

'€œHe has chosen a legal process that will threaten the party'€™s existence and exacerbate its instability instead of opening chances for reconciliation,'€ Usamah said.

Djan'€™s camp filed the lawsuit on March 14 against President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly for allegedly violating Supreme Court Decree No. 601/2015, which recognized Djan'€™s leadership.

Despite the court ruling, the government has issued a decree returning the party'€™s management to that appointed in a national congress in Bandung, West Java, in 2011, which elected then religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali as chairman and Muhammad Romahurmuziy as general secretary.

Djan is also demanding the government pay Rp 1 trillion (US$75.93 million) he claims as part of Rp 7 billion losses caused by the uncertainties that the decree caused.

The ministry'€™s decree was aimed at resolving the party'€™s prolonged conflict after it split into two factions '€” that of Djan and a splinter faction led by Romahurmuziy.

Romahurmuziy, who declared allegiance to the government, was elected chairman in a national congress in Surabaya, East Jakarta, in October 2014.

The ministry later issued a decree recognizing Romahurmuziy'€™s leadership, which the Supreme Court later revoked.

The court, however, did not make direct reference to granting the leadership to Djan, who had filed the lawsuit challenging the decree.

Both camps have already met several times following the ministry'€™s instruction for an immediate reconciliation, but the Djan camp still opposes a national meeting, which has been scheduled for next month.

Usamah said that Parmusi would continue to urge Djan to attend the upcoming national meeting and openly compete with other possible candidates for the party
chairmanship.

'€œIf Djan insists on refusing to attend the national meeting, then let him be. After that, PPP members may refuse to recognize him as part of the party anymore. We won'€™t get him out of the party, but we also can'€™t allow the party be held hostage by one man,'€ he said.

Chairman of the central executive board of the Djan camp, Mansyur Kardi, who is also a Parmusi chairman, called on all party members, including Djan and his supporters, to join and take part in the national meeting. '€œHe should join the reconciliation and end the war,'€ he said.

Another Parmusi chairman Irgan Chairul Mahfiz, a member of the PPP faction at the House Representatives, said the conflict had badly hindered the party'€™s legislative work.

'€œThis dualism means the faction works ineffectively at the House, particularly in decision making. Therefore, we need a reconciliation immediately,'€ Irgan said.

Separately, Djan said that he would not agree to any reconciliation, claiming it had nothing to do with him and there was no division in the party.

'€œThe PPP has no plan for any national meeting, no divisions. We only have a little problem with the Law and Human Rights Ministry and won'€™t agree to reconciliation with it'€ said the businessman-turned-politician.
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