Guess What? Abdurrahman Wahid

Be cautious if someone hugs you. You might be bitten -- and it might not be a love bite.

Abdurrahman Wahid, leader of Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama, was not kidding when he talked about the "hug-and-bite" thing.

"Monkeys hug their victims first before they bite them," he said.

Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, was warn people to be wary of such dangerous hugs on Thursday during a seminar on the economy of the common people at the Jakarta Design Center.

The seminar was organized by non-governmental organization Bina Desa in conjunction with the launching of a book on the subject of grassroots economics.

Wahid observed that it is not that easy to manipulate or cheat people, because they are wary and well informed.

"People have the potential to develop, but that potential is often wrapped up in a veil of vulnerability, so that it seems that they can easily be set aside or coopted," he said.

"What's more, they have wisdom," he said.

He said he had never talked "in a harsh manner" to the people at the grassroots level of society. Instead, he often uses "symbols" in his discussions with people who come to him for advice.

"They can decipher those symbols very well," he said with a smile.

But Gus Dur, what does the "monkey" symbolize? (sim)