Gus Dur claims new attempts to topple government

HAVANA, Cuba (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid renewed his allegations on Wednesday (Thursday in Jakarta) that several parties have been waging a campaign to topple his government in the run up to the People's Consultative Assembly session in August.

If his past accusations of a plot were leveled at unnamed individuals in the military, this time the president made no reference to any individual or institution.

But Gus Dur, as the President is popularly called, cited the call by a Muslim organization in Jakarta for a holy war in strife-torn Maluku as part of a plot to incite riots and destabilize the country.

"Everybody knows that the jihad calls are related to those attempts," he said, adding that the movement was well-financed.

"Insya Allah (God Willing) security personnel will be able to handle those problems," Abdurrahman said at a meeting with the Indonesian community in Cuba.

The President, who is in Havana for a summit of developing countries from April 12 to 14, has made similar accusations of a plot against him in the past.

He said that before leaving Indonesia on Saturday, he had asked National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo to monitor the activities of the "jihad kids."

The call for jihad in Maluku was made by Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah whose sword-wielding members staged demonstrations outside the presidential palace and the House of Representatives over the past week.

The group, which has been running a training program for about 3,000 volunteers in Bogor near Jakarta, has accused President Abdurrahman of failing to protect Muslims in the Maluku conflict which has claimed more than 2,000 lives since January 1999.

"As long as they only talk and move inside their training ground, it will be tolerated. But if they make a move outside, they will be arrested."

"We guarantee their freedom of expression, but if they try to impose their will on others, they will have to face us," he said, adding that the government would be firm against troublemakers.

"The World Bank and big countries like the United States, Japan and South Korea have pledged to give us funds for more security personnel and equipment," he said.

Abdurrahman said he was optimistic that the security situation in Indonesia was moving toward normalization. "The fact that I can make foreign trips means that the situation is safe."

The Indonesian Military, including all regional military commanders, and the police, were fully behind him, he said.

Cuba is the third leg of the President's overseas tour after visits in South Africa and Mexico. On Friday he will proceed to Hong Kong with a brief stopover in Tokyo to visit the ailing former prime minister Keizo Obuchi and to meet with his successor Yoshiro Mori.

Gus Dur disclosed that he had removed the United States from the current itinerary because Washington objected to his visit immediately after attending the Havana conference.

"I told (foreign minister) Pak Alwi Shihab then that we are not an American proxy and that we are free to go anywhere," he said. (byg)