Gus Dur doubts Soeharto really wants a dialog

Gus Dur doubts Soeharto really wants a dialog

JAKARTA (JP): Following a controversy over a planned national
dialog that would have included former president Soeharto, the
man who initiated the plan said that he doubted Soeharto was
serious about participating in the dialog.

Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim Organization
Abdurrahman Wahid said on Friday, "I doubt that pak Harto really
wants to meet with (President B.J.) Habibie. Let us hope he
(Soeharto) was not talking nonsense," Abdurrahman, known as Gus
Dur, told reporters in an "open house" session at his residence
in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

He was referring to his plan to hold a dialog involving
Habibie, Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander
Gen. Wiranto, former president Soeharto and himself.

Habibie, in his capacity as President, had rejected the
proposal, but did not dismiss the possibility of joining an
informal dialog in his capacity as a citizen.

Abdurrahman, however, was optimistic that although the dialog
might fail to materialize, his initiatives had nevertheless
helped bring about a conducive climate toward national
reconciliation.

"My separate meetings with Habibie, Wiranto and pak Harto have
helped cool down the situation," he said.

"Hopefully, there won't be any bloodshed if the national
dialog fails," he added.

Abdurrahman met with Soeharto and, separately, with former
defense minister Gen. (ret) L.B. "Benny" Moerdani, who is still
considered influential in politics, on Saturday.

Critics said that meeting Soeharto was against the tide of the
reform movement, while supporters said it helped to make
political communication less rigid.

"It's fine if the dialog can go on. If not, it's okay for me,"
Abdurrahman said on Friday.

Regarding the presence of Yorrys Raweyai, a leading figure of
the Pemuda Pancasila youth organization, at Soeharto's house on
Saturday, Abdurrahman said Soeharto may have "wanted to find out
if I would flee after seeing Yorrys".

Pemuda Pancasila has been charged with using youths, including
former hoodlums, for political ends.

"But, I did not flee because pak Harto was more important for
me than Yorrys," Abdurrahman added.

He further charged that one of the critics of the meeting, a
representative of the Association of Indonesian Muslim
Intellectuals (ICMI), felt threatened that the dialog might have
positive results.

"If the dialog went on, ICMI's political control would be
shared with other elements of the nation," he said.

ICMI was set up by Habibie, and a number of presidential
advisers and ministers are from the organization.

ICMI's executive chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro had said that if
Habibie met Soeharto in his capacity as President, he would be
considered to be under Soeharto's influence. However, if he
refused to meet Soeharto he would be considered undemocratic.

Renown scholar Nurcholish Madjid said on Friday that if the
planned dialog involving the four figures failed, other leaders
should not stop attempts to hold a national dialog.

"The Abdurrahman-initiated dialog should be considered as a
pioneering work," he said.

Nurcholish suggested officials like the governor of the
National Resilience Institute, Lt. Gen. Agum Gumelar, as credible
organizers of such an event.

Agum had earlier suggested a national dialog, which Habibie
turned down, saying it would be difficult to gather leaders who
were representative of all Indonesians.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Habibie, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, also
an executive of ICMI, said it would be "awkward" to include a
person involved in legal prosecution in a national dialog.

"Soeharto is a problem, not a solution," she said on the
sidelines of a discussion on national leadership.

On Wednesday, Attorney General A.M. Ghalib said Soeharto could
be named a suspect in investigations regarding his wealth.

Charging "certain groups" with competing for political
influence, she said that the national dialog should be held
between the government and the people, including students.

She suggested that the government and the people should share
a common perception on politics.

Now, she said, the government considers critics as organizing
a revolution, "while the people think that the government wants
to maintain the status quo".

In a meeting with former student activist Herry Akhmadi,
Abdurrahman said it would be unrealistic to hope the government
was serious about bringing Soeharto to trial.

Officials would just "protect and save him," he said.

He said that the government prosecutors investigating
Soeharto's alleged corruption, collusion and nepotism were all
nonsense (gombal).

"They all took bribes from Soeharto," he claimed.

"Habibie also took a lot of money from Soeharto," he added
without elaboration. (imn/aan/43)