Gus Dur questioned over his comments in Schwarz's book

Gus Dur questioned over his comments in Schwarz's book

JAKARTA (JP): The controversial chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Abdurrahman Wahid, has been questioned by the National Intelligence Coordinating Body (Bakin) regarding his reportedly critical statements about President Soeharto's leadership contained in a book published in Australia.

The leader of the country's largest Moslem organization said in the East Java town of Mojokerto over the weekend that he had been summoned by Bakin to give an explanation of his statements as quoted in the book, A Nation in Waiting, written by Adam Schwarz.

The book deals with the current Indonesian political situation, the growing role of Islam in politics, and the involvement of Soeharto's friends and family members in business.

"I have told Bakin officers everything about the matter," he said, as quoted by the Antara news agency. He denied criticizing the government in the book.

Abdurrahman, who is popularly known as Gus Dur, was interviewed by Schwarz about wide variety of issues, which included Soeharto's policies, banking, Islam and democracy.

The Moslem leader was in Mojokerto, East Java, to speak before 7,000 NU members who were celebrating the organizations' 71st anniversary. While in Mojokerto, he also received a delegation of traditional scholars (ulemas), who sought his advice about resolving the conflict between himself and Abu Hasan, who has set up a rival NU leadership after losing the recent election for the organization's chair.

Questions about his statements in the book were first raised by Jusuf Hasjim, one of the NU's leading figures, who sent a letter to the head of the organization's advisory board in which he cautioned the chairman about his assessment of the President.

Abdurrahman said that Jusuf Hasjim, who is his own uncle, had "misread the book."

"No one who reads the book with a clear mind, adequate sincerity and sufficient proficiency in English will misunderstand it," Abdurrahman said.

Jusuf, who recently resigned as a member of the NU advisory board, told reporters in Surabaya on Friday that he had sent the letter on Jan. 14.

He said he had attached the Indonesian translation of Abdurrahman's assessment of Soeharto to the letter. Jusuf said he had sent copies of the letter to all NU branch leaders throughout Indonesia.

Clash

Jusuf, 65, who is also the director of a popular Islamic traditional school in Jombang, East Java, has said openly that he had clashed head-on with Abdurrahman on many issues.

He said he had resigned because of the terrible shame he had felt as a result the current split in the organization of Moslem clerics.

The chairman of NU's law-making body, or Syuriyah, KH Ilyas Rukhyat, said in Bandung yesterday that there was no problem about Jusuf's resignation. He said he had received Jusuf's resignation on Thursday and everything was clear.

Ilyas said he did not want to comment further on the matter because the letter had already been printed by the local press. He said NU leaders had not met to discuss Jusuf's resignation.

"Personally I wish he would withdraw his resignation and join hands with us in improving the situation within the organization," Ilyas told reporters after making a speech on the role of Moslem mass organizations during the next 25 years. (pet/tis)