Gus Dur frees Permadi of blasphemy guilt

Gus Dur frees Permadi of blasphemy guilt

JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid, the controversial chairman of
Indonesia's largest Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),
says there's nothing blasphemous about the remarks of psychic
Permadi Satrio Wiwoho.

Gus Dur, as Abdurrahman Wahid is better known, told The
Jakarta Post yesterday he and other leaders of the largest Moslem
group had studied the cassette containing Permadi's remarks,
which some Moslem groups found to be insulting to Islam.

"We didn't find anything that was sacrilegious," according to
the scholar whose organization boasts some 30 million members,
mostly in rural areas. "We didn't see anything that calls for our
concern."

Gus Dur's stance on the controversy over Permadi's remarks is
similar to his reaction over a similar controversy involving
former tabloid Monitor chief Editor Arswendo Atmowiloto five
years ago.

Arswendo was convicted by a Jakarta court in 1991 of blasphemy
for publishing a popularity poll in his tabloid in which Prophet
Muhammad was in the 11th place, just below himself.

Gus Dur said he and K.H. Ilyas Ruchiyat and K.H. Sahal
Mahfudz, respectively chairman and deputy chairman of the law-
making body of NU, had listened to a recording of Permadi's
remarks which was obtained from Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of
general affairs department Let. Gen. Soejono, who first exposed
the issue recently.

"We haven't found anything that we need to comment on," Gus
Dur explained the organization's stance on the issue. "If we had,
we would have called a leadership meeting and decided our
position."

"We don't see any problem," he said. "This is entirely
Permadi's problem with the authorities."

However, he called on NU followers to stay calm and not
overreact or be drawn into the furor arising from the psychic's
remarks.

NU members should concentrate on more important issues such as
the organization's educational programs, Gus Dur said. "There are
many other things that need our attention."

Meanwhile, street protests over Permadi's alleged blasphemous
remarks continued yesterday. Moslem youths grouped in Tarbiyah
Islamiyah lodged their protests at police headquarters.

Led by M. Syarfi Hutahuruk, the 10-member Moslem delegation
submitted a six-point petition to national police spokesman Col.
Iswanto and secretary to the national police Col. Ahwil Lutan.

They demanded that the authorities take action against Permadi
for insulting Prophet Muhammad, President Soeharto.

Yesterday, well-known lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution was
summoned to the Attorney General's office as a witness in the
Permadi case.

Permadi, who chairs the Association of Indonesian Psychics,
has also been in hot water with the government over his last
year's talk show on a Yogyakarta radio station, Radio Unisi, in
which he predicted that the country would be rocked by political
turbulence this year.

The soothsayer, who always appears in his customary black
clothes, predicted that Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of
former president Sukarno and chief of the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI), would be the next president.

The prophecy angered officials and the attorney generals'
office has investigated his motive. He is accused of sowing
hatred of the government and undermining the state ideology
Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

Chief of the Armed Forces (ABRI) socio-political affairs, Lt.
Gen. Ma'ruf said yesterday that all the trouble Permadi is facing
should serve as a lesson for other paranormals.

"Predicting is OK but never stir public unrest. Permadi did
not support his prediction with facts," he said.

He reiterated ABRI's call on the public to restraint from
emotionally venting their anger at Permadi's forecast and,
instead, trust the police to handle the soothsayer's case.

Permadi is now in police custody where he is under
investigation for his remarks in a seminar that some Moslems
consider blasphemous to Islam.

Police chief Banurusman was quoted by Antara news agency as
saying in Palangkaraya, Kalimantan, Wednesday that the police
will also investigate Radio Unisi for airing Permadi's prophecy.

If the radio has the same motive as Permadi, its management
will be brought to court, he said.

The radio station has denied it mass produced the talk show
cassettes and illicitly sold them. (swe/bsr/imn/pan)