'Bughot'

'Bughot'

Supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid have upped the ante
in the current power struggle between the country's political
elite to a dangerous level by broaching the concept of bughot, or
an attempt to overthrow a government regarded as lawful under
Islamic law, to denote the activities of his political opponents.
Leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Islamic organization which
is the backbone of Abdurrahman's political support, are currently
pondering whether this religious concept can be applied to
today's political situation.

Basically, if those people who are trying to unseat the
President could be construed as engaging in bughot, NU could
effectively declare a jihad against them. Such a declaration
would legitimize spilling the blood of the President's political
adversaries, and unleash his fanatic supporters on a killing
spree. Their current slogan in defending the President, "We will
die for you," would change to "We will kill for you".

While the use of threats and intimidation remains fashionable
in Indonesian politics, there must be a limit on how far they can
go. Legitimized killing, to which a declaration of jihad could
lead, is far too excessive. Supporters of the President are
playing a very dangerous game by toying with the idea of branding
his opponents as engaging in bughot.

As the row between the President and his adversaries
intensifies, supporters of both camps are resorting to the use of
force, or at least the threat of force, as part of their
psychological campaign to intimidate their opponents. Students
seeking his resignation, for example, occupied the House of
Representatives (DPR) building for a brief period last month.
Supporters of the President conducted a sit-in at the DPR
building, some brandishing swords to make their point. They
blocked the port in Banyuwangi, East Java, on at least two
occasions, disrupting ferry services between Java and Bali. The
President's supporters have vandalized buildings and facilities
of the Golkar Party and the Muhammadiyah Muslim organization.
They have painted crosses on the houses of some Muhammadiyah
leaders in East Java.

Although there have been some violent incidents, they were
minor and understandable by the standards of Indonesia's nascent
democracy. Force and intimidation were the preferred tool of the
past authoritarian regime to impose its will on the rest of the
nation. Today's political leaders, while learning the ropes of
democracy in a civil society, still resort at times to these old
practices to help get their political message across.

If we accept the notion that Indonesia is in a transition from
a repressed to a democratic society, the use of force and
intimidation is a legacy of the past. Ultimately, such practices
are not acceptable in the political conduct of a real democracy.

President Abdurrahman Wahid's position has lately become even
more tenacious now as more and more political factions in the
House of Representatives review their support for him. They have
effectively told the President either to resign, or face the
embarrassment of being impeached.

The President however has vowed to fight, and his supporters,
mainly from NU, have rallied behind him. While we may dismiss
NU's decision this week to look into the concept of bughot as
simply part of its campaign to intimidate the President's
opponents, there are disturbing signs that these are not merely
tough words. Even if they are simply intended to intimidate, the
situation could get out of control.

Hundreds of young people, professing blind loyalty to
President Abdurrahman, have already enlisted with the "death
squads". The use of Islamic symbols like bughot and jihad to
condone violence, including killing, makes the condition even
more explosive. These die-hard supporters will kill in the name
of their religion and their leaders. NU's youth wing, Ansor, has
had a history of violence, including its role in the massacre of
suspected communists in the late 1960s.

What is most lamentable is the failure of the President and of
NU leaders to issue an outright condemnation of their supporters'
plan to use violence and intimidation. If anything, they appear
to be encouraging their supporters. If the situation were to get
out of control, there would be widespread killing in this
country. The President and NU leaders would have to bear the
lion's share of the responsibility for this.