Gus Dur and Habibie urged to reconcile

JAKARTA (JP): Emil Salim, a former cabinet minister well respected for his statesmanship, has swung his weight behind efforts to reconcile well-known Moslem leaders Abdurrahman Wahid and B.J. Habibie.

Emil said Thursday good relations between Abdurrahman, affectionately called Gus Dur, and Habibie will improve relations between the two influential organizations the antagonists lead.

Gus Dur chairs the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Habibie heads the politically well-connected Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) and is State Minister for Research and Technology.

"Better relations between the two figures will undoubtedly boost cooperation between the two organizations," said Emil, a member of ICMI's Board of Advisors and former environment minister.

He said cooperation between ICMI and NU would benefit not only the Moslem community but also the Indonesian public in general.

Gus Dur and Habibie are known to have fundamental differences of opinion about how Moslems, about 87 percent of Indonesia's 195 million people, should play a role in politics.

Gus Dur was quoted by Media Indonesia daily as saying Thursday that he would meet Habibie only if he made a concession: making a commitment that ICMI would bury its ambition to dominate politics.

"On various occasions, ICMI leaders have made it clear that they want to fly their Islamic banner in the political bureaucracy and the armed forces," Gus Dur said. "I'm opposed to it."

Gus Dur is an ardent critic of ICMI, which was established with President Soeharto's blessing in the East Java city of Malang in 1991.

The idea of bringing Gus Dur and Habibie together in a reconciliation meeting came last week from Ilyas Ruchiyat, chairman of NU's law-making body.

Emil said he does not believe the differences between Habibie's and Gus Dur's views are that great. "I don't see any serious conflict between Abdurrahman Wahid and Habibie," he said.

Calls for reconciliation have come from Moslem figures following a rare meeting between President Soeharto and Abdurrahman earlier this month.

The meeting ended speculations that the President did not bless Gus Dur's leadership. Gus Dur is well-known for his critical stand on some government policies.

Observers say proof of improving relations between government officials and Abdurrahman, who leads the Forum Demokrasi group of government critics, was evident from his meeting with Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono a week later. (imn/pan)