Communism protected by Constitution: Gus Dur

HAVANA, Cuba (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid reiterated on Tuesday his call for the lifting of the ban on communism in Indonesia, saying the ideology "is protected" by the 1945 Constitution.

"Communism is protected by our Constitution, so because of this stance they (the protesters) are agitated, they feel it is wrong. But my job is to defend the Constitution," Abdurrahman told a media briefing in English at Cancun Airport, Mexico, prior to his departure for Havana on Tuesday afternoon.

Abdurrahman, affectionately known as Gus Dur, accompanied by foreign minister Alwi Shihab, wore a traditional Mexican shirt during the briefing.

The President, who is in Havana to participate in the first ever Summit of the Group of 77 from April 12 through April 14, has repeatedly campaigned for the revocation of the three-decade- long ban on communism.

It has been met with a wave of criticism and opposition, not only from Muslim hard-liners. Anticommunist rallies have hit Jakarta in the last three weeks.

"The reaction to my announcement is quite normal because they do not understand communism ... but they are free to demonstrate because that is guaranteed by the Constitution as well," Abdurrahman said.

"So, it is up to the MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) to take action on whether to follow my advice or theirs (the protesters)," he added.

Alwi, Abdurrahman's close confidant, said earlier that the President's appeal for the revocation of communism ban was based on the spirit of reconciliation as too many innocent people had been killed in the communist purge in the mid-1960s.

Commenting on his meeting with Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and a number of Mexican businessmen earlier in the day, Abdurrahman said: "We should learn how the Mexicans approach the problem in a rational way, and then how they use their resources to the full for their national interest, but without damaging their international relationship."

Abdurrahman said Mexico had been able to reach the point "where now it becomes a producing country for the United States and European countries."

"This is done without really damaging the role Mexico has in preserving its relationship with many other countries, especially developing ones," he added.

The President was greeted with a red carpet welcome upon his arrival at Jose Marti Airport in Havana after a 50-minute flight from Cancun.

Meanwhile, the meeting between Abdurrahman and Cuban President Fidel Castro, which was originally scheduled to be held at the Palacio de Presidente on Tuesday evening, was canceled, head of the protocol bureau Wahyu Muryadi said.

There was no official statement explaining the cancellation and whether officials from both countries were going to arrange a new meeting.

Back on home soil, the West Sumatra provincial legislature held a plenary session in Padang on Wednesday to declare its opposition to Abdurrahman's call on communism.

All the 13 factions in the legislature, including that representing the National Awakening Party (PKB), which was founded by Abdurrahman, unanimously rejected any plan to revoke the decree on communism ban.

"I don't want to be intimidated. The decision to oppose the President's proposal is our faction's official stance and my opinion too," head of the PKB faction Nazar Siddin said.

Also attending the plenary session was Deputy Governor Fachri Achmad and leaders of legislative councils in regencies across the province.

In Bandung, some 200 students of the Sunan Gunung Jati state Islamic Institute rallied at the provincial legislature to protest Abdurrahman's tendency of issuing controversial statements, including the one on communism.

"There is no statement from him that does not spark anxiety in society," the students said in their statement read by their executive board president, Asep A. Sahid Gatara.

The students called on Abdurrahman and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to focus on poverty alleviation instead, for example by revoking a decision to increase the allowance of state officials.

Speaker of the provincial legislature Idin Rafioedin, who received the students, replied: "We will channel your aspiration to the President. But it depends on him, whether he is willing to heed it." (25/28/byg)