Amir Tejo & Anita Rachman, Surabaya – Hopes that the warring factions of the Islam-based National Awakening Party would reunite here were dashed when a party congress opened on Sunday without chairman Muhaimin Iskandar.

Yenny Zanuba Wahid, leading the faction loyal to her late father, former president and party chairman Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, opened the two-day congress of the party known as the PKB, which is being attended by some 2,000 members.

"We implore Muhaimin Iskandar to come to the congress. Please sit as the party chairman, we will not be making it an issue," she said. "As long as Muhaimin wants to give back Gus Dur's dignity and position, and acknowledges him as the party's advisory council chairman."

The PKB has been riven by internal strife since 2004, when Gus Dur, who helped establish the party after the downfall of former President Suharto in 1998, dismissed Muhaimin as secretary general.

Yenny described the two PKBs in existence today as the original and the official one. The original refers to her camp, those loyal to her father, while the official party, Muhaimin's camp, is the one recognized by the courts.

Muhaimin contested his dismissal in court and won. He held a rival congress that elected him chairman, and was legitimized by the government.

But Yenny said both were now insignificant because they stood alone. In the 2009 legislative elections, the party won just 4.9 percent of the vote, significantly lower than the 10.6 percent in 2004.

"Legality is indeed important, but people's trust is more important. Thus, I ask Muhaimin to come to the congress and consolidate [the party's] strength," she said.

Despite the plea, no official from Muhaimin's camp is attending the congress. Top figures at the congress included Rizal Ramli and Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who served as ministers under Gus Dur.

Choirul Anam, chairman of the Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU), which was formed in response to the PKB's disunity, is also attending the congress, but denied his presence signalled a reunion. "I came because I got the invitation," he said. "I am a loyal student of Gus Dur. I respect him."

Marwan Jafar, the chairman of the party's House faction and head of the executive board from Muhaimin's camp, said the Surabaya meeting was not an official PKB congress. "A congress would involve official members... we have not received any invitations," he told the Jakarta Globe. "Yenny is not a PKB cadre. In 2009, she campaigned for the Great Indonesia Movement Party [Gerindra]."

M. Khudori, a political expert from Indo Barometer, said the only solution to the problem was for Yenny's camp to set up a new party. "It is better to form a new party rather than draining everyone's energy on legal issues," he said.

Arwani Thomafi, deputy secretary general of the United Development Party (PPP), another Islam-based party, said many PKB clerics unhappy with the party's infighting were mulling moving to the PPP. "They feel the parties are belittling themselves," he said.

On Saturday, dozens of clerics declared in Kediri, East Java, that they were joining PPP. Marwan, however, said no PKB clerics were among the group, only those from the breakaway PKNU.