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n internal dispute at the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party has intensified with ousted lawmaker Fahri Hamzah calling for party president Sohibul Iman to step down from his post.

Fahri alleges that Sohibul has failed in his role as a House of Representatives member because he has been distracted by his duties as the party’s chief executive.

“I suggest he resign as the party’s president so that he can focus on his legislative duty. Currently as lawmaker, he seldom attends meetings,” Fahri said on Monday.

Fahri was annoyed because Sohibul and two other party executives, Hidayat Nur Wahid, currently the People’s Consultative Assembly deputy speaker, and Surahman Hidayat, the House’s Ethics Council (MKD) chairman, did not show up to the South Jakarta District Court for a mediation hearing earlier on Monday. This was the second mediation attempt, after the three also failed to show up to the first one. They said they had been busy with their own routines as politicians.

“I’m also busy with my schedule as House deputy speaker, but I canceled several things to attend the hearing. They have shown poor attitudes in this matter,” Fahri said.

Tense relations started after the PKS’ central executive board decided to dismiss Fahri from the party membership and replace him as deputy speaker with Ledia Hanifa Amalia.

Besides publicly criticizing the PKS leadership, Fahri also filed a report against Sohibul, Hidayat and Surahman with the MKD for dismissing him without legal basis and for violating electronic information and transactions (ITE) regulations by publishing a release about the dismissal. “It means they have ruined my reputation,” he said.