Gus Dur not as expected

Gus Dur not as expected

From Rakyat Merdeka

On our president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, I have the following opinion: When proposed by his supporters from the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muslim scholars from Langitan for presidency, I was optimistic Gus Dur would be elected president of Indonesia and would become the realizer of public aspirations, the crusher of tyranny, the eradicator of the New Order's remainders and Soeharto's cronies, though prior to it he had established a close relationship with Mbak Tutut, former president Soeharto's eldest daughter.

When the presidential voting was held, as a wise man he should have known that the voting system was full of tricks. He turned out to have the heart to elbow Megawati who was known as the only strong presidential candidate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, as reflected from the total votes obtained by that party in the general election.

But upon becoming president, Gus Dur has made us puzzled and surprised. Some of his polices were positive but many were negative, for example he made a visit to and embraced Soeharto, declared he would forgive the former president who was in power for 32 years.

Frankly, I suspect that scene came about because Soeharto is super rich. After holding power for several months, Gus Dur has even become a "tourist" and has neglected the grievances of the people the majority of which are starving.

EDI SUHENDI

Sukabumi, West Java