NU finally supports female presidents: Abdurrahman<\/p>\n
PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): After allowing weeks of
\ncontroversy, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Abdurrahman Wahid
\nfinally stated on Friday that his organization supported women
\npresidents.<\/p>\n
In his address to a seminar on gender here, Abdurrahman, who
\nis better known as Gus Dur, said NU would support Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri for president, arguing that Islam did not oppose
\nfemale presidents.<\/p>\n
"I support Megawati for president because I have knowledge of
\nreligion, not because I have a vested interest," said
\nAbdurrahman.<\/p>\n
"We cannot think only about our own interests, because the
\nstate does not belong only to a certain group," he told some 200
\nulemas who attended the seminar.<\/p>\n
The seminar was part of preparations for the next NU congress
\nin Kediri, East Java, next November.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahmman previously argued many NU ulemas still could not
\naccept a woman to lead the country, although he added that
\npersonally he would support Megawati, his close friend, as the
\nnext president.<\/p>\n
In the provisional vote count completed on Thursday, PDI
\nPerjuangan won the elections and secured 154 of the 462 contested
\nseats for the House of Representatives (DPR). Golkar came second
\nwith 120 seats, while the National Awakening Party (PKB), the
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) controlled 51, 39 and 35 seats, respectively.<\/p>\n
Despite the controversy on the gender issue, only PPP
\nofficially declared that it opposes a female president among the
\nIslamic parties. Chairman Hamzah Haz said the decision was based
\non the fatwa(edict) of PPP's council of ulemas.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, long known as Megawati's closest ally and even a
\nmentor, said after a meeting last month with President B.J.
\nHabibie that support for Megawati might no longer be forthcoming
\nas he could not guarantee ulemas would accept her presidency.<\/p>\n
In a meeting with NU ulemas, however, Abdurrahman deplored
\nthose who opposed a female president saying they actually did not
\nunderstand Islamic laws.<\/p>\n
"Those who said that it was haram (forbidden by Islam) for a
\nwoman to become president actually do not understand fiqih
\n(studies of laws)," he said.<\/p>\n
Said Agil Siraj, one of NU's executives, expected
\nAbdurrahman's statement on the female presidential candidate
\nwould end the controversy.<\/p>\n
"We support Megawati as the presidential candidate because she
\nis the only female candidate," he said.<\/p>\n
PKB chairman Matori Abdul Djalil said with the statement of
\nthe party's founder that PKB would back up Megawati in the next
\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
"With Gus Dur's decision, PKB fully supports Megawati in the
\nnext presidential election. And we have prepared a coalition to
\nsupport her," said Matori.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Friday that
\nthe party's support for its presidential candidate B.J. Habibie
\nremained solid although he acknowledged the defeat his party
\nsuffered in the elections.<\/p>\n
"It (the candidacy) is a final decision," Akbar said.(45\/prb)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nu-finally-supports-female-presidents-abdurrahman-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }