Govt's sincerity toward NU is being tested

Govt's sincerity toward NU is being tested

JAKARTA (JP): The government's sincerity in its' recognition
of the controversial Abdurrahman Wahid as the legitimate chief of
Nahdlatul Ulama is being tested.

NU members and scholars said yesterday that if the government
is consistent with its formal stand, it must prevent
Abdurrahman's political rivals from conducting their congress
next week.

They said the congress is another attempt by the rivals to
unseat Abdurrahman, who was re-elected chairman by NU's last
congress in December 1994.

In an apparent attempt to win the government's sympathy, NU
leaders in Central and West Java praised Minister of Defense and
Security Edi Sudradjat and Minister of Home Affairs Yogie S.M.
for publicly reaffirming their support for Abdurrahman Thursday.

Political scholars Gaffar Karim and Riswandha Imawan, both
from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, said the congress
planned by the NU's rival board, KPPNU, is an obvious bid to
unseat Abdurrahman in a blatantly illegal fashion.

Abdurrahman is known as a government critic and it is
understood that not all officials were happy about his re-
election in 1994.

"We are sure the government will keep its' word and won't
permit the KPPNU gathering," chief of the Central Java branch of
NU Achmad told journalists Semarang yesterday.

The KPPNU is led by Abu Hasan, who lost the chairmanship race
in the 1994 NU congress. The congress that KPPNU leaders expect
will bring together 1,000 people, is scheduled for Jan. 17-18 in
Jakarta.

In Jakarta, aides of the Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi
Tahir said they knew nothing of KPPNU officials' claim that he
had agreed to open the disputed meeting.

Achmad said NU officials in Central Java are still behind
Abdurrahman and that none have shown any interest in attending
the gathering.

A similar statement came from Habib Syarief Muhammad, chairman
of the West Java NU chapter.

"We have decided to ban our members from attending the (KPPNU)
meeting because we believe it is intended to ruin the NU," he
said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.

Earlier, many West Java NU members claimed they were coerced
by military personnel into attending the KPPNU.

Habib described the government's assurance of its recognition
of Abdurrahman's leadership as "very heartening" for the 30
million-strong Moslem organization.

Meanwhile, Gaffar Karim said that the planned KPPNU meeting is
a naked attempt by the NU rebels with apparent support from some
individuals in the bureaucracy to oust Abdurrahman.

"The support is apparent from how the government has
established relations with camps opposed to Abdurrahman Wahid,"
he said.

But he said the conflict will have no effect on NU because
Abdurrahman still retains strong support at the grassroots level.

Meanwhile, Riswandha Imawan pointed out that the government
should not permit KPPNU leaders to hold their congress.

"Otherwise, the government will be openly showing its' support
for attempts to topple Abdurrahman Wahid," he said.

"If the government lets KPPNU leaders go ahead with their
gathering, it sets a bad precedence for the nation's politics
because it means that the bureaucracy plays at favoritism."
(har/pet/pan)