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As the Justice Party (PK) announced on Saturday that it had withdrawn its support for the President over a loss of confidence, the United Development Party (PPP) took a softer tone in evaluating Abdurrahman's performance, citing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)