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Ever since Muchdi Purwoprandjono announced in February that he was abandoning the nationalist Great Indonesia Movement Party he helped create for the Islam-based United Development Party, many have been curious about his intentions.

With so much scandal surrounding the retired two-star general — ranging from being blamed for the widespread riots that followed the fall of former President Suharto in 1998 to allegedly masterminding the murder of prominent human rights advocate Munir Said Thalib in 2004 — it was all but natural for members of the Islamic party known as the PPP to question his true motive for switching sides.

There has been speculation that Muchdi has designs to lead the party.

Among the rumors circulating inside the party is that Muchdi wants to chair PPP in a bid to get it out of the Democratic Party-led ruling coalition and form an alliance with the party he founded, also known as Gerindra.

When asked about the rumor by the Jakarta Globe recently, Muchdi denied it.

“What?” the retired general said. “That’s not true. None of it is true.”

Muchdi explained that his departure from Gerindra was fueled by an internal conflict that erupted after the party was approached by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for possible inclusion in the coalition.

Gerindra’s founder, retired Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, had signaled the party was open to joining the coalition in exchange for seats in the cabinet. The move would mean an end to Gerindra’s opposition party status.

“When we first established Gerindra, we agreed that we must counter attacks from the neo-liberals. After the 2009 elections, Prabowo and I agreed to stay out of the coalition and dedicate ourselves to criticizing the government and correcting their policies,” Muchdi said.

“But then the commitment changed. There is a political maneuver and compromise. At the same time, certain elements within the PPP asked me to join. Being a long-time Muslim activist myself, I was attracted to develop the last remaining pure Islamic party.”

But PPP’s membership in the coalition calls into question Muchdi’s stated mission of criticizing the government. And his military background and support of nationalist politics seem an imperfect fit for the Islamic party.

Publicly, PPP leaders have welcomed Muchdi, but insiders close to current chair Suryadharma Ali are more cautious about his possible ambitions to lead the party.

“Muchdi is more fitting to handle the defense and security affairs of the party,” PPP secretary general Irgan Chairul Mahfidz said in February.

“His background is different. He is a soldier and from a nationalist party. When he enters an Islam-based party, of course there would be a clash of ideologies.”

Muchdi, however, has insisted he has experience with Islam-based politics. “My mother comes from an NU [Nahdlatul Ulama] family and my father was a Masyumi [early Muslim party].”

Despite his ties with Muslim organizations, Muchdi is a newcomer. Should he seek a leadership post, gaining support in time for the upcoming PPP internal election could prove daunting.

But according to several sources inside the party, Muchdi could benefit from an internal rift caused by dissatisfaction with Suryadharma’s leadership.

“Muchdi garnered a lot of support from the youth wing factions of the party, especially given the fact that there have been very few young people in the PPP’s current executive board,” one source said.

Although he has not formally announced his bid for the chairmanship ahead of the June 11 election, Muchdi has said that he aims to make some changes inside the PPP.

“This party lacks leadership. That is why there is little support and confidence towards the party in the last election,” he said.