REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- A chairman of the Islamic-based United Development Party (PPP) Arwani Thomafi said the party does not need to wait for national congress (Muktamar) to decide its political position if it wants to support the new government.

Arwani Thomafi, who is also the secretary of the PPP faction in the House of Representatives, made the statement in reaction to growing call to hold the Muktamar earlier.

The fact that the present general chairman of the party is a corruption suspect has prompted call for earlier Mukatamar to select a new leader.

PPP is part of the Red and White coalition of a number of parties supporting presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto but lost in the July 9 presidential election.

Even before the election a number of PPP leaders openly stated support for rival presidential candidate Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who finally won the election.

Arwani said PPP gave support to Prabowo in the presidential election based only on a decision in a meeting of the party leader, "then, it is also valid to throw our support to Jokowi based on a decision of party leaders in a meeting."

"As for the call for holding the Muktamar (congress) earlier, we appreciate the aspirations of all cadres ," he said.

Based on the last Muktamar decision, the next Muktamar is to be held next year, but a national leaders' meeting in Bogor recently decided to hold the next Muktamar a month after the presidential election or on Aug 9.

The plan to hold the Muktamar earlier followed the naming of the party general chairman Suriadarma Ali a suspect in corruption by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

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