Abdurrahman Wahid to meet Lee Kuan Yew
Abdurrahman Wahid to meet Lee Kuan Yew
JAKARTA (JP): Noted Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid is
scheduled to visit Singapore on Tuesday to meet senior minister
Lee Kuan Yew, a Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executive, M. Fajrul
Falaakh, said over the weekend.
Fajrul said that during his Singaporean trip NU chairman
Abdurrahman, widely known as Gus Dur, was expected to speak at
the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, the same
institution which recently received the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman, Megawati
Soekarnoputri.
"Gus Dur will meet Lee Kuan Yew to talk about the current
development in Indonesia, his wish to help the nation cope with
the present problems and improve relationship between Indonesia
and Singapore," Fajrul told The Jakarta Post.
On Sunday the Kompas daily quoted Abdurrahman as saying that
he would no longer meet former president Soeharto. His much
criticized meetings, he has said, was aimed to coax Soeharto to
reign in his loyalists who he believed incited current widespread
violence. But violence has continued. "There are limits to my
patience, I no longer see any use in coaxing him," he said.
In January, Abdurrahman asked former Singapore prime minister
Lee to become an international adviser with the National
Commission for Truth-Seeking and Reconciliation. Abdurrahman
delivered his request through Singaporean envoy Edward Lee.
Abdurrahman, who leads the 35-million-strong Muslim
organization, has solicited international support for his planned
commission. Among the world leaders he has nominated to sit on
the team are Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Oscar Arias Sanchez
and Jimmy Carter.
He also plans to involve domestic figures, including
Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X, Megawati, Julius Kardinal
Darmaatmadja of the Indonesian Bishops Council and JM Pattiasina
of the Indonesian Communion of Churches.
Abdurrahman has yet to inaugurate the commission, which was
originally scheduled to be operational by the end of February.
The commission would address concerns over the many rights
abuse cases that have gone unsolved for years.
The team, once established, will be assigned to uncover the
truth of the cases and foster reconciliation among the parties
involved. (edt)