Don't follow Megawati, says Abdurrahman

Don't follow Megawati, says Abdurrahman

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem leader Abdurrahman Wahid has called on
members of the split Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) to
disregard the stance of ousted chief Megawati Soekarnoputri to
abstain from voting.

Abdurrahman, who leads the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama
(NU) Moslem organization and was once thought to have a political
alliance with Megawati, said Megawati's decision was a personal
one and no one should follow it.

"I am calling on the cadres, members or supporters of PDI to
exercise their political rights on May 29 and disregard the
political stance of Mbak Mega, because the decision of the
daughter of (the late president) Sukarno is personal in nature,"
Abdurrahman was quoted by Antara as saying in Tegal, Central Java
yesterday.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said that Megawati chose
not to vote because she was dissatisfied with the political
situation facing her. "Her stance is legitimate as long as it's
personal in nature, and not a call for other people to do the
same," he said.

Megawati declared on Thursday that she was returning her
registration form and would abstain from voting. She also called
on people to exercise their political rights in accordance with
their conscience.

Abstaining from voting is legal under the Indonesian electoral
law, but it is an offense to encourage others not to vote.

"If that's Megawati's political decision, then what I can do
as a citizen is to call on PDI members and supporters not to
follow in her footsteps," Abdurrahman said during a break at a
local NU function.

Abdurrahman believed Megawati's decision would not affect the
general election, and that none of the political contestants
should worry about losing potential supporters.

Abdurrahman did not mention any contestants' names, but it was
previously considered that the Moslem-based United Development
Party (PPP) stood to gain from the conflict within PDI. A great
number of PDI supporters had expressed an intention to vote for
PPP in protest of Megawati's rival, government-backed PDI
chairman Soerjadi, who ousted her in a rebel congress last year.

Comments

Abdurrahman was one of many to comment on Megawati's
declaration. Another was Golkar leader Subiakto Tjakrawerdaya,
who said after campaigning in Lampung that Megawati's stance
would not adversely affect the general election.

"If she doesn't want to use her right, fine, but as a good
citizen she should use it," Subiakto, who is also minister of
cooperatives and small enterprises, was quoted by Antara as
saying Thursday.

Political observer Afan Gaffar at Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta said Megawati's decision would not benefit the PDI or
the Indonesian people.

"At the moment, her stance won't have any adverse impact. In
the future, however, there could be people outside of her circle
taking her stance to abstain from voting," he said. "Her becoming
golput (nonvoter) will go on record as part of Indonesian
political history," he said.

He added that the government still considered nonvoters as
irresponsible people. "She's a public figure, and her followers
will no doubt want to imitate her. If would have been better had
she decided to abstain from voting silently," Afan said.

Political observer Abdul Munir Mulkhan, also of Gadjah Mada
University, agreed with Afan that Megawati's stance would not
have much of a repercussion. "Had she announced it a long time
ago, more people would have joined her camp," he said.

Criticism came from the rector of Diponegoro University in
Semarang and campaigner for Golkar, Muladi, who said Megawati
"should have been wiser".

"Her statement could have negative impacts, because it can
serve as a disguised persuasion (for other people to abstain),"
he said.

Another professor at Diponegoro University, Satjipto Rahardjo,
said Megawati should have considered her great number of
followers. "Her statement could be construed as a campaign for
golput," he said.

"It's a political maneuver, and her supporters would surely be
influenced," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Secretary-general Buttu R. Hutapea of the rival PDI faction
said "it's Megawati's right not to vote ... and her stance will
not influence anything." (swe)