PPP Party Chairman Sacks 15 Party Officials

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Chairman of the United Development Party (PPP) executive board Suryadharma Ali has dismissed 15 executive board members from their positions, while some of them have also been removed as party members.

"In line with the dismissals, the party's officials who have been elected as House of Representatives (DPR) members, cannot be sworn-in as legislators (in early October 2014), Suryadharma told the press here Friday.

The party board members and its cadres who were elected as legislators for the DPR and the regional legislative councils (DPRD) must be members of a political party, according to him.

If the party officials are dismissed from their positions and also from their membership, they are no longer eligible to be inducted as legislators, Suryadharma further said.

Dismissal of the party officials is in line with the decree number 1358/KPTS/DPP/P/IX/2014 dated September 12, 2014, Suryadharma, the former religious affairs minister, who was named a suspect in the Hajj fund graft case by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said.

Three of the 15 party officials who were dismissed are deputy general Emron Pangkapi, Suharso Monoarfa and Lukman Hakim Saifuddun.

In addition, the party secretary general Muhammad Romahurmuziy and general treasury Mahmud Yunus were also dismissed.

Six other officials dismissed from their position as executive board chair persons were Ermalena Muslim, Reni Marlinawati, Aunur Rofik, Rusli Effendi, Yusroni Yazid, and Hizbiyah Rohim.

Four others dismissed from their post as deputy secretary generals were Joko Purwanto, Dini Mentari, Nurmila Muslih and dan Siti Maryam Thawil.

The dismissal of the 15 PPP officials occurred after a number of party board members held a meeting on September 9-10 that resulted in the dismissal of Suryadharma Ali from his position as the PPP general chairman.

Earlier, after being named as a suspect in the Hajj fund graft case by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Suryadharma Ali announced that he would resign.

"As I have been named a suspect by the anti-graft body, I do not wish to hold the post of party chairman any longer. I am well aware of my position," stated Suryadharma Ali after an internal meeting at the office of PPP on the night of September..

In the meeting, Suryadharma said that he was willing to resign at the party`s congress, where he was first elected the chairman.

Suryadharma also proposed that the congress be held on October 22 or 23, despite some members disagreeing with the proposal.

The meeting, Tuesday night, was considered to have a hidden agenda to urge Suryadharma to resign, which came from 26 regional party leaders.

"The party`s branch does not support the 26 regional party leaders. I was not elected by the party`s regional office, but by the party`s branch," Suryadharma added. (WDY)