Gus Dur predicts presidential election will be influenced

Gus Dur predicts presidential election will be influenced

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem scholar Abdurrahman Wahid predicts a
"coalition" of interest groups within the Armed Forces (ABRI) and
"political Moslems" will influence the outcome of the 1998
presidential election.

Addressing a discussion on Indonesian politics here Tuesday,
the chairman of the 30 million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem
organization spoke of another possibility: an alliance between
"professional Armed Forces officials" and "cultural Moslems"
which would place the presidential election within the framework
of the 1945 Constitution.

In a diatribe in which he lashed out at many parties,
Abdurrahman polarized Moslems as those who seek to obtain
political dominance ("political Moslems") and those who seek to
stay within the existing political framework and struggle for
Islamic causes through non-political means ("cultural Moslems").
He also polarized ABRI as comprising those driven by personal
ambitions, and professionals.

"If the ambitious military officers join forces with Moslems
seeking to turn Islam into a political flag, then I would say
that our political future will be very tense," said Abdurrahman,
also known as Gus Dur.

The discussion was held by Forum Dialog Bhineka Tunggal Ika
established by, among others, Yorris Raweyai, chairman of the
Golkar-affiliate Pemuda Pancasila youth group. It was attended by
representatives of various well-connected organizations.

In his speech, Abdurrahman said the Association of Indonesian
Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) fit his category of "political
Moslems".

The association's chairman, State Minister for Research and
Technology B.J Habibie, is a close confidant of President
Soeharto and has been mentioned as a possible candidate for vice
presidency.

"The combination of ambitious officers and which ever Islamic
group wants to dominate the existing political arena could create
a jolting change in the country's leadership," said Abdurrahman.

Alternative

Abdurrahman offered an alternative to the first coalition. "If
professional officers ally themselves with the (non-politicking)
cultural Moslems, and overturn the first coalition, then the
situation in the future would be more relaxed," he said.

The second alliance would leave the issue of national
leadership to the People's Consultative Assembly and it would not
matter to them whether there was a presidential succession. "As
long as everything goes in accordance with the constitution, the
situation will be cool," he said.

The 1,000-strong People's Consultative Assembly, which
includes 500 members of the House of Representatives, will
convene next year to prepare the Broad Guidelines of State Policy
and elect a new president.

Abdurrahman vowed Nahdlatul Ulama would do its utmost to
defend the 1945 Constitution, especially from groups who sought
to deviate from it. "We don't have any other choice," he said.

Abdurrahman also criticized fellow Moslem scholar, Amien Rais,
who said Moslems were under-represented in Indonesian political
institutions. Amien is chairman of the 28-million-strong
Muhammadiyah as well as a leading member of ICMI.

"If someone says Islam is not represented in the political
institutions, it slanders the Islamic community. Are they saying
that Soeharto and Vice President Try Sutrisno are not Moslems?"
he said.

Abdurrahman also spoke about the so-called Green Dragon
Operation and Red Dragon Operation launched by a certain powerful
circle to discredit him and ousted Indonesian Democratic Party
leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Some people have been outraged at what they believe were
Abdurrahman's insinuations that ICMI was behind the operation.
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