The dismissal of Muhaimin Iskandar from the position of the chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in a plenary meeting on 26 March 2008 created a new conflict in the PKB. The conflict got complicated after Muhaimin Iskandar had decided to challenge Abdurahman Wahid (or Gus Dur), the initiator of this dismissal.
The conflict between Gus Dur and Muhaimin began with the plenary meeting between the executive board (DPP) of the PKB and the Syuro (Advisory) Council. The meeting’s agenda was about the election of Mahfud MD as a Constitutional Judge. However, a demand to ask Muhaimin to resign was thrown during the meeting.
Two reasons were raised to back up this request. First, Muhaimin was alleged to have made a political agreement with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) to support SBY for the 2009-2014 Presidency, even though Gus Dur has declared that he is going to contest the 2009 presidential elections. The logic is that the PKB will not endorse any vice presidential candidate, as it will nominate Gus Dur as the presidential candidate.
Secondly, in relation to the reason mentioned above, there was a rumor that Muhaimin is maneuvering to topple Gus Dur from the position of the chairman of the Syuro Council of the PKB. Both factors really worried Gus Dur, as he faced not only Muhaimin but also the people who supported Muhaimin.
Continuing Conflict
The current internal conflict stresses that a party that should accommodate the aspirations of Nahdliyin is loaded with conflicts of interests.
Before the current conflict, the PKB also experienced a conflict between Gus Dur and Matori Abdul Jalil, when Matori’s position as the PKB chairman was revoked by a planary meeting on 15 Augusts 2001. Then Gus Dur installed Alwi Shihab as the new chairman to replace Matori.
But, Alwi Shihab also experienced a fate like Matori’s, as he was removed by Gus Dur on 20 October 2004. From the cycle of conflicts mentioned above, it was seen that Gus Dur's factor was always involved in all conflicts that emerged in PKB.
Internal Democracy
What has been seen in PKB until now has generated a question about how far the progress of democratization has taken place in PKB. Since the PKB was formed, Gus Dur’s figure has played a central part in every political decision implemented by the PKB. We can say that the role of Gus Dur is similar to the role of Soeharto in Golkar in the New Order era.
What has been told by Gus Dur hence must be done by all PKN members. It is very clear that the PKB really depends on Gus Dur's figure. The PKB should develop a party system that has democratic mechanisms and rules to maintain the process of internal democratization.
Referring to the idea of Robert Michels in Political Parties (1984), a party's difficulty to reform itself is because of the strength of the party's oligarchy where political authority in the party is controlled by few "strongmen". In the PKB case, the strongman is Gus Dur
The dual management of PKB will threaten the PKB’s participation in the general elections in 2009.The PKB’s management that has the right to join the general elections will be determined by results of the court that is still in process.
However, there is also a possibility of the two versions of the management can not join the general elections in view of the fact that the trial process will need a long time.
- Benni Inayatullah –
The Indonesian Update Volume III. No. 2 June 2008
The internal conflicts in PKB have always begun with Gus Dur as the central figure in the PKB. If the PKB wants to free from the conflicts, then the only way is to place people who are in line with Gus Dur. However, that means that the process of democratization in the PKB continues to be paralyzed.
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