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