DEMOCRAT PARTY MEETS TO CONSOLIDATE AMID 'STORMS'

Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 23 (ANTARA) - The ruling Democrat Party (PD) began a two-day coordination meeting in Sentul, West Java, on Saturday to consolidate its cadres amid alleged internal frictions and corruption allegations.          At the opening of the meeting, PD General Chairman Anas Urbaningrum called on PD cadres to make use of the coordination meeting as a momentum to carry out internal consolidation and to show common solidarity and cooperation.          "Democrat Party cadres must be able to prove that the issue of internal frictions within the party is merely a public perception. Therefore, cadres must be able to always carry out internal consolidation until they show that their party is a big, modern and solid one," the PD general chairman said.          The Democrat Party is holding the coordination meeting amid storms of attacks linked to the case of its former treasurer corruption suspect M Nazaruddin who recently indicated in a private TV station interview that certain top leaders of the party were also involved in the corruption deal.          Anas said in order to become a modern and big party, its cadres must always cooperate and  not be influenced by negative issues.          He said that in recent days he had become a target of strong attacks to weaken his party. He said that he felt he was now the target of strong attacks amid the sensational issues plaguing the PD of late.          "I can feel I am the target of strong attacks as  general chairman of the Democrat Party," Anas Urbaningrum said when addressing the National Coordination Meeting of the PD at the Sentul International Convention Center (SICC , West Java, on Saturday.           He said  in the face of the attacks he was following a lesson he had learned from PD Chief Patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also president of the Republic of Indonesia.           "I really learned from the chief patron that we have to remain strong in the face of ordeals. We have to stand firm and consistently wage our struggle because they are our answers to the public," Anas said.           Anas said the onslaught aimed at him was nothing comparable to the attacks launched against the PD chief patron so far. He said many attacks and slanderous allegations were aimed at PD to weaken and discredit the leadership of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.          "But he continues to demonstrate that a leader must continue to show patience and ability," he said.          In the meantime, the Democrat Party also admitted that some of its cadres were not yet clean.          In his opening speech, Yudhoyono reminded all cadres who failed to uphold civility and cleanliness in politics to get out of the party he had established.          Yudhoyono said cadres who failed to follow the principle and ethics of struggle should leave the Democratic Party.      "With goodwill and good name, for the honor and glory of the party, I want to convey to the cadres that anyone among us who does not want and is unable to uphold the principles and ethics of struggle should better leave this political party," Yudhoyono asserted.          Yet,  Yudhoyono also reminded that people should also uphold the presumption of innocent principles. He stressed this when referring to the case of fugitive former PD treasurer Nazaruddin.          "Let's uphold the principle of presumption of innocent. Whatever happens within the party, we should include it as a part in our efforts to put in order and improve the party," he said.           At the end of his address to about 5,000 DP cadres, Yudhoyono also called on Nazaruddin to return to the country.  If Nazaruddin does not return to Indonesia, he said, the people would continue to be confused, the domestic politics would continue to be filled with suspicions, premature conclusions and unilateral trials.          "We must uphold the rule of law. Therefore, it should be the court that should decide whether or not a person is guilty. We call it trial by the court, not trial by the press, trial by SMS, neither trial by BBM," he said.          But PD chief patron wanted that his party would be clean from cadres who only ruined its credibility and dignity.          Therefore, the Party will list the names of cadres it is considering problematic. Those who are proven problematic would be given sanctions.          Democrat Party (PD)'s Board of Patrons Ahmad Mubarok said the party would impose sanctions, including dismissal from membership, on problematic cadres.  "The names of problematic cadres have been noted by the party's Ethics Council for further processing," Ahmad Mubarok said.          Mubarok said the sanctions on problematic cadres were necessary to save the party and safeguard its identity as suggested by chairman of the Party's Board of Patrons, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who had given the directives that the Democrat Party should always uphold civility in politics, remain clean and perform better.          "The Democrat Party adopted this identity since the beginning  but in reality there were still badly performing, uncivil and unclean cadres in the party,"he said.          According to Mubarok, the Ethics Council will collect names of problematic cadres.  The action will be taken after the ongoing coordination meeting was concluded.  "The national coordination meeting will produce some recommendations among others for the Ethics Council to process problematic cadres," he said.           He said the names of the problem cadres have not yet been listed by the Council as the Council still has yet to collect them. The actions  against cadres involved in problems would be based upon the degree of their problems starting from verbal reprimand, written reprimand to dismissal from party membership.          Mubarok did not yet reveal the names of problematic cadres already noted by the Ethics Council.  "It is unethical to mention the names of the cadres now as the recommendations will only be submitted on Sunday (July 24)," he said.***3*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/00:00/H-YH) 24-07-2011 00:04