Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Democratic Party executives must follow through President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's vow to clean up his party by imposing strict sanctions to all corrupt and problematic members in the upcoming national coordination meeting, an observer says.

A political observer from the Indonesian Survey Institute, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, said on Tuesday that party chairman Anas Urbaningrum must be brave enough to "overhaul" his party which had been burdened by a range of scandals by its members.

"Dismiss all troublesome members without exceptions, not only those whose names frequently appear in the media, like [former treasurer] Nazaruddin and [party executive] Andi Nurpati. This is important for the party if it still wants to gain significant votes in the 2014 polls," he said.

The party has been gearing up to hold a national coordination meeting, scheduled for July 23 to July 26 in Sentul, Bogor regency, West Java.

Ramadhan Pohan, a Democratic Party executive, said the meeting would certainly be a good opportunity to clean up the party.

"It is now being processed by the party chairman who has been preparing to consolidate [the party] comprehensively. There will be strict sanctions for members who have been indisciplined or violated the law," he said.

The ruling party has been burdened with a series of criminal allegations by its members, ranging from document forgery to high-profile corruption.

Among them is lawmaker and dismissed party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, who is now a graft fugitive.

Nazaruddin, who has been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for his alleged role in the graft surrounding construction of the athletes' village for the upcoming SEA Games, has become a thorn in the side of the party after leaving the country and claiming that several party members were involved in the shady deals.

Muhammad Jafar Hafzah, the head of the party's faction at the House of Representatives, said the party had been planning to clean their ranks in order to repair the party's image.

"There will be strict penalties to members who violate our internal code of conduct or are not disciplined," he said.

Unlike similar meetings in the past, the next national coordination meeting will involve not only representatives from all 32 provincial chapters but also from hundreds of party offices at city and regency levels across the nation.

According to Jafar, an estimated 4,700 party members nationwide would attend the meeting.

"The main agenda at the meeting will be to evaluate the party's and the government's performance over the past year, particularly on economic issues," he said, denying speculation that the meeting would be used to oust Anas' chairmanship.

Jafar confirmed the agenda to clean the party was an implementation of Yudhoyono's order which had been included in the President's official statement made at his residence in Cikeas, West Java, earlier this month.

Dozens of Democratic Party members have been implicated in graft cases but party officials have yet to execute internal punishments against them.

Troubled Dems

• Muhammad Nazaruddin (lawmaker/dismissed party treasurer), graft fugitive
• Andi Nurpati (party executive), allegedly masterminded an election document forgery
• Jhoni Allen Marbun (lawmaker/party executive), allegedly took bribes in several government projects
• Amrun Daulay (lawmaker), a graft suspect
• Muhamad Nasir (lawmaker/Nazaruddin's relative), implicated in several of Nazaruddin's cases
• Djufri (lawmaker/head of party's West Sumatra chapter/former Bukittinggi mayor), a graft suspect
• Murman Effendi (Seluma regent/head of the party's Bengkulu chapter), graft suspect
• Angelina Sondakh (lawmaker), allegedly received bribes in the athletes' village case
• Mirwan Amir (lawmaker), allegedly received bribes in the athletes' village case
• Max Sopacua (lawmaker/party deputy chairman), implicated in a 2007 corruption case at the Health Ministry
• Robert Edison Siahaan (former Pematang Siantar mayor), graft suspect
• Agusrin Najamuddin (Bengkulu governor), former graft defendant
• Sukawi Sutarip (Semarang mayor), graft suspect
• Andrias Palino Popang (former Tana Toraja vice regent), graft convict
• Satono (East Lampung regent), graft suspect
• Yusak Yaluwo (Boven Digoel regent), graft convict

[Source: The Jakarta Post.]