Gus Dur loses more support

Gus Dur loses more support

JAKARTA (JP): Two more members of the Axis Force, a loose
coalition of several Islamic parties which played a key role in
bringing Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to the presidency in 1999,
announced over the weekend their disappointment over the
president's performance.

As the Justice Party (PK) announced on Saturday that it had
withdrawn its support for the President over a loss of
confidence, the United Development Party (PPP) took a softer tone
in evaluating Abdurrahman's performance, citing the deadline for
the incumbent President won't be until the end of March.

PK chairman Hidayat Nurwahid said his party had decided to
make a break with Abdurrahman to avoid "any negative impact
resulting from the President's controversial leadership".

"We have tried many ways to correct Gus Dur's leadership,
taking both polite and radical steps, but he has not changed his
style in leading the country," Hidayat said on the sidelines of
the party's post-Idul Fitri gathering at the national monument,
where thousands of party members and supporters gathered.

He claimed Abdurrahman would not have survived the annual
session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) last August
had political parties put aside their differences, spurned a
political compromise and refused to give the President a second
chance.

"Frankly, through political compromise and goodwill offered by
political parties at the MPR session last year, Gus Dur accepted
one more chance to improve his performance, but now he has blown
that chance," Hidayat said.

PK won seven seats in the House of Representatives in the 1999
general election. It formed the Axis Force coalition with the
National Mandate Party (PAN), the PPP and seven Muslim-based
parties to support Abdurrahman in the presidential election.

His statement on Saturday came just a week after PAN announced
its disappointment with Abdurrahman.

Hidayat ticked off a long list of Abdurrahman's faults that
had cost him the party's trust.

"The latest controversy was Gus Dur's statement that Ajinomoto
(taste enhancer) products are halal, while the Indonesian Ulemas
Council had declared them forbidden for Muslims," Hidayat said.

Abdurrahman, Hidayat said, also lied to the public in
connection with efforts to arrest Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra,
the fugitive son of former president Soeharto.

Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Hamzah Haz said Gus Dur had failed to
promote legal certainty and provide security assurance in the
country as many corruption cases remained unsettled, while
terrorist actions continue to threaten the country.

"We've given Gus Dur a six-month deadline since the MPR annual
session last August. If there's no improvement, we demand the
legislators issue a memorandum," Hamzah said while addressing the
party's 28th anniversary at the Senayan Sports Stadium in Central
Jakarta on Sunday.

He said that the House should hold an MPR special session to
appraise Gus Dur's performance after issuing the memorandum.

Commenting on the two financial scandals -- the Rp 35 billion
(US$3.6 million) Bulog scandal and the $2 million donation from
the Sultan of Brunei -- that allegedly involved Gus Dur, Hamzah
urged PPP faction members to continue their job at the special
committee investigating the scandals and providing transparency
for the public.

Hamzah said Abdurrahman had so far only managed to confuse the
public rather then solving the crisis that has plagued the
country for years.

He also warned that Gus Dur should not try to repress the PPP
as that would also mean repressing Islam.

The PPP's 28th anniversary here, however, claimed fatalities
as two of six PPP sympathizers, who were sitting on top of a city
bus chartered for the event died after their bodies were crushed
when the bus went through the Manggarai tunnel in south Jakarta.
The two were identified as Toyo and Asep.

Besides Jakarta, PPP's anniversary was also celebrated in
Yogyakarta on Sunday, where thousands of party supporters staged
a rally around the city following the cancellation of Hamzah's
visit to the province.

"Crowds of people wanted to greet Hamzah Haz but since he
decided not to go to Yogyakarta today, the supporters held
rallies instead," Nur Rohman, PPP's security coordinator in
Yogyakarta, said as quoted by Antara.

Meanwhile in Semarang, Central Java, chairman of the
Muhammadiyah Muslim organization Syafi'i Maarif said the
organization will not appraise Gus Dur's tenure to avoid conflict
among people at grassroots level.

"We'll not issue a political statement. We have to protect the
grassroots, we do not want to see them fighting," Syafi'i told
journalists on Saturday. (02/dja/edt/har/ylt)