Guess What? Abdurrahman Wahid

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)