Gus Dur tells supporters to correct the government
Gus Dur tells supporters to correct the government
JAKARTA (JP): Controversial scholar Abdurrahman Wahid has
advised his 30 million followers in Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) to
correct but not topple the government.
Abdurrahman reminded members of the largest Moslem
organization that the government belongs to the people and
therefore the public should help maintain it.
"We have the obligation to correct its flaws and weaknesses,
but we may not topple it," Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur,
was quoted by Antara as saying.
Addressing a gathering of NU members in the Central Java town
of Demak on Sunday, Abdurrahman likened the government to a large
house.
"When the house develops cracks here and there, what we need
is to patch the holes, not to tear it down and rebuild it anew,"
he said.
He added that he believed the government would maintain its
commitment to justice and prosperity.
Abdurrahman said that despite NU's political neutrality, all
NU members should exercise their individual political rights.
Once a powerful political party, NU pledged in 1984 to abandon
politics but guaranteed its members the individual freedom to
join any political organization.
Senior NU members are active in Golkar, the Moslem-oriented
United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Abdurrahman, however, reminded all NU members to be
independent of outside influences.
He also criticized the Surabaya mayor for advising East Java
businesses not to employ people who refuse to vote for Golkar.
"It is not right to fire a worker for political reasons," he
said.
Meanwhile, in Semarang yesterday, Abdurrahman said he would
give the chairman of NU's youth wing, M. Iqbal Assegaf, a chance
to reconcile with NU's central board.
"I give Iqbal the opportunity to correct himself," he told The
Jakarta Post.
Iqbal told the media during a national Golkar meeting last
week, that he, as a Golkar member, had the right to win his six
million colleagues over to ruling Golkar group. He, however,
denied he would bring Ansor into Golkar.
Iqbal reportedly submitted to Golkar deputy chief Siti
Hardiyanti Rukmana a list of Ansor members he wants considered
for the 1997-2002 House of Representatives membership.
Abdurrahman threatened to dissolve Ansor for supporting
Golkar, saying Iqbal's maneuver ran against NU's political
neutrality.
Ansor has been estranged from NU in recent years chiefly
because of personal differences between its chairman and
Abdurrahman. (imn/har)