Gus Dur opens 12th Ansor congress<\/p>\n
BOYOLALI, Central Java (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid
\nopened the 12th congress of the Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor),
\nthe youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), here on Thursday, calling
\non the youth to remain critical in their approach to national
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
Present at the ceremony held at the Dorohudan Haj Dormitory,
\nabout 10 kilometers from Surakarta, were Minister of Home Affairs
\nSurjadi Soedirdja, head of NU's law-making body Sahal Mahfudz and
\nMinister of Tourism Djaelani Hidayat.<\/p>\n
\"I do hope that members of Ansor live their lives honestly and
\nare aware of the reality and aspirations of the people,\" said
\nAbdurrahman, who is also a patron and former chief of NU, the
\ncountry's largest Muslim organization which boasts 30 million
\nsupporters.<\/p>\n
The youth wing is known for its banser civilian guards, said
\nto be one million strong.<\/p>\n
In his opening speech, Abdurrahman said he remembered how
\nAnsor strongly criticized him for the handling of the graft
\nallegations concerning former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
\"Once, I said that I would pardon Soeharto and B.J. Habibie if
\nthey were found guilty of graft. Then I was called gombal (empty
\ntalk) and plin plan (inconsistent)\".<\/p>\n
\"(But) It's impossible to press a former ruler too hard and
\nexpect to get the money back. He (Soeharto) might as well run
\nabroad and take the money with him...If we're strict all the
\ntime, everybody will be in jail,\" Abdurrahman added.<\/p>\n
More than 1,900 provincial Ansor representatives from across
\nthe country are due to elect a new chief for the 2000 to 2005
\nterm during the five day congress.<\/p>\n
Among the strong contenders for the top post are incumbent
\nSyaifulloh Yusuf who is Abdurrahman's nephew, former secretary-
\ngeneral of GP Ansor Saefulah Maksum and chairman of the
\nAssociation of Indonesian Muslim Student Movement Khotibul Uman
\nWirono. (har\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-dur-opens-12th-ansor-congress-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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