Thirty senior Muslim leaders have joined the Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP).

Twenty five to thirty Muslim clerics and senior figures will join the Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP), United Development Party, including Nur Iskandar, Wakhid Karim, Syarofuddin Husin, and Syaifullah Yusuf/Gus Ipul, according to Istadjib, the vice-chairman of the Central Java branch of the PPP. The group will formally join the party at the Central Java branches’ upcoming annual conference, 20-21 January 2007 at Tawangmangu, Karanganyar.

Istadjib would not speak on the matter of whether any of the group had other, previous, party affiliation, except to say that Gus Ipul had once been a very senior leader of the PKB. antara

Gus Ipul.

The entry of Gus Ipul into the PPP, in particular, has bouyed the spirits of the party faithful, it is said. It appears that Ipul has committed himself to holding down a senior position within the PPP for the next five years and that his move to a new party was sparked by the continuing infighting at his old home, the PKB. It is hoped that he will strengthen the party’s appeal at election time, particularly on Java. suaramerdeka