Yaqut Says 2 Different PKB Congresss Will Be Determined By The Ministry Of Law And Human Rights

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Monday (2/9/2024). (ANTARA/Good Ahmad Rizaldi)

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said the validity between the PKB Congress which will be held in Jakarta with the PKB Congress which was previously held in Bali some time ago will be determined by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham). "We just respect the perspective of friends who have an agenda to hold a congress that is different from the congress in Bali. It's just a matter of ratification at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights," Yaqut said when met at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Antara, Monday, September 2. Currently, there is a discourse to hold the PKB Congress again on September 2-3, 2024. Based on the initiator's statement, according to him, the congress will become the real PKB Congress. On the other hand, he also mentioned that there was no "competitive congress" because the different congress was legal to carry out. However, he made sure that he did not initiate the congress. "The version is like that, it's not a match," said the man who is familiarly called Gus Yaqut. So far, he has heard that many parties have lost their democratic rights at the Bali Congress. For example, he said, there were decisions that were suddenly ratified but not through the commission meeting first. "Some have been fired before the congress, replaced with other administrators. I heard a lot of things like that," he said. Previously, the PKB Congress which was held in Bali, August 24-25, 2024, had decided Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar alias Cak Imin to return to his position as Chairman of the PKB. In addition, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin was also agreed to serve as Chairman of the PKB Syuro Council. Meanwhile, former PKB Secretary General Lukman Edy said that a different PKB Congress or "competitive congress" would be held on September 2-3 in Jakarta. "We have a plan for the congress that we will make to be opened by PBNU (Large Manager of Nahdlatul Ulama), and later closed by the President," said Lukman at the Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Jakarta, Tuesday (27/8).

The congress in Jakarta, according to him, will encourage PKB General Chair candidates other than Muhaimin Iskandar who has served for about 20 years.