Groups decry Abdurrahman remark about Maluku strife<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Muslim groups protested on Thursday President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid's remarks about the Muslim community in Maluku
\nand his proposal to lift the ban on communism.<\/p>\n
No clashes were reported, but the rally by thousands of
\nmembers of various Muslim organizations in Jakarta raised tension
\namong the public. Many of the rally participants were armed with
\nswords, machetes and daggers, and they blocked off access to the
\nPresidential Palace in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
After a brief meeting with the President, which the
\nrepresentatives of the Muslim groups said was unsatisfactory, the
\nrally participants vowed to travel to the provinces of Maluku and
\nNorth Maluku, which have been wracked by sectarian clashes, and
\nstage a jihad.<\/p>\n
\"Just because he is the President, he cannot make any remark
\nhe wishes,\" one of the rally leaders, Jaffar Umar Tholib, told
\nthe crowd after the meeting.<\/p>\n
The rally participants, mainly from the Ahlus Sunnah Wal
\nJama'ah Communication Forum, initially gathered at Senayan
\nstadium, about six kilometers to the south of the Presidential
\nPalace, to celebrate the Islamic New Year.<\/p>\n
After traveling from the stadium, the protesters encircled the
\nPresidential Palace complex, leaving the some 500 security
\npersonnel helpless.<\/p>\n
According to the protesters, Abdurrahman recently called
\nMuslims in Maluku \"golden boys\", while in fact the Muslim
\ncommunity in the province has been the victim of acts of
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
The President said during a meeting at the palace last Tuesday
\nthat the conflict in Maluku was basically due to the unfair
\ntreatment the Christian community in Maluku suffered under former
\npresident Soeharto's administration.<\/p>\n
\"Over the past 10 years, the government gave special treatment
\nto Muslims in Maluku, like golden boys,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
Eight of the protesters were allowed to meet with the
\nPresident. A few minutes later they emerged from the palace,
\nsaying the President had become angry with them.<\/p>\n
\"He was angry. How can you talk to an angry man,\" said Ayib
\nSyafruddin Rahmat, chief of the Jihad Soldiers from Solo, Central
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Acting State Secretary Bondan Gunawan told reporters the
\nmeeting lasted only five minutes because the President had to
\nrest and was to receive acupuncture treatment later in the
\nafternoon.<\/p>\n
Bondan admitted Abdurrahman became upset after one of the
\nprotesters accused the President of acting however he wished.<\/p>\n
He also said the representatives questioned Abdurrahman about
\nhis plan to lift the ban on communism, and that the President
\nexplained that \"he's only responsible to the People's
\nConsultative Assembly, not individuals\".<\/p>\n
Dissatisfied with the meeting with Abdurrahman, Jaffar called
\non the crowd to wage a jihad.<\/p>\n
\"Jihad is the final effort for Muslims to stop the Christians'
\nrebellion in Maluku,\" he said, inviting those in attendance to
\ntake part in military training in Bogor.<\/p>\n
Protests also hit Bandung and the West Sumatra capital of
\nPadang.<\/p>\n
Around 1,000 students from the Persatuan Islam Islamic
\nBoarding School marched through the West Java capital of Bandung
\nto protest the President's plan to lift the ban on communism.<\/p>\n
Quoting Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono, the spokesman
\nfor the protesters, H. Atip Latiful Hayat, said communism would
\nnot be vanquished if the ban was lifted. \"Communism will survive
\nand blossom if given the opportunity.\"<\/p>\n
In Padang, hundreds of student from the state-owned Islamic
\nTeaching Institute Imam Bonjol gathered to protest the proposed
\nlifting of the ban on communism.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur is becoming insensitive to what's happening in
\nsociety,\" one of the students, Alwi, said, referring to the
\nPresident by his nickname.<\/p>\n
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, the chairman of the Crescent
\nParty (PBB), Yusril Ihza Mahendra, reiterated his opposition to
\nAbdurrahman's plan to lift the ban on communism, saying the move
\nwould be unwise during the country's economic misery.<\/p>\n
\"The ban could probably be withdrawn after the people become
\nmore prosperous. Now is the government's chance to inspire peace
\namong the people and encourage people to enforce the law and
\nrepair our economy,\" said Yusril, who is also the minister of law
\nand legislation.<\/p>\n
\"Now our people are socially fragile. They are easily
\nprovoked. In such a situation, communism could become a serious
\nthreat,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Amien Rais, speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly,
\nexpressed his opposition to the President's proposal. Briefing
\nreporters in Yogyakarta on Thursday, Amien said he was certain
\nthe Assembly's annual session next August would not support the
\nPresident's proposal to lift the ban on communism.<\/p>\n
However, Said Aqiel Siradj, a member of the central executive
\nboard of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the nation's largest Muslim
\norganization, said he supported the President's proposal.<\/p>\n
\"There will be no consequences for the country if the decree
\nis lifted,\" said Aqiel Siradj, a former aide to President
\nAbdurrahman, who is a former chairman of NU. (06\/25\/28\/44\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/groups-decry-abdurrahman-remark-about-maluku-strife-1447893297",
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