Gus Dur wins ticket to Senayan
JAKARTA (JP): Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid was among 63 legislative candidates endorsed on Monday by the General Elections Commission (KPU) to represent various interest groups at the People's Consultative Assembly.
The KPU approved Abdurrahman to represent the country's largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which he chairs after a vote in which 51 were in favor of him and four against.
"The debate over interest group representatives is over and we will soon report the selection outcome to the President," said KPU chairman Rudini.
The decision to pass Abdurrahman, also known as Gus Dur, was made after Agus Miftach, a member of the subcommission team in charge of selecting the legislators, met with Abdurrahman and several other NU executives last Friday to discuss Abdurrahman's candidacy.
Earlier, Agus was a strong contender for Abdurrahman's nomination because of his close ties with the National Awakening Party (PKB). Abdurrahman is the party's founder.
KPU has decided to recruit nonpartisans only for MPR interest group members.
A series of demonstrations in support of Abdurrahman marked the debate in the subcommission.
Except for Heroe Syswanto NS from the Indonesian Film Artists Association (Parfi) and Fransisca Titi Vharmana of the Al Ittihadiyah Muslim organization, nominations of the MPR legislators were approved.
The qualifiers include Siswono Yudohusodo of the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), Feisal Tamin of the Indonesian Civil Servants Organization (Korpri), Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of women's organization APIK, Rais Abin of the Indonesian Veterans Legion (LVRI) and Sri Mulyono Herlambang of Freedom Fighters Students Association (PKB PPK).
Another member, Marzuki Usman, recently resigned from his position as state minister of investment to represent his organization, the Indonesian Economists Association (ISEI).
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita confirmed on Monday that he planned to resign from the Cabinet if he is appointed a member of the MPR.
Ginandjar said he would like to serve a five-year term in the Assembly.
He will quit from the Cabinet as soon as his appointment as Golkar representative for West Java is confirmed this month, he said, then added that President B.J. Habibie had given his blessings to his plan.
"If I am to end my career in serving the nation by becoming an MPR member, then this is an honor. It is impossible that someone would want to remain a minister forever," said Ginandjar before attending the National Defense and Security Council (Wanhankamnas) meeting at Bina Graha presidential office, which was chaired by Habibie.
The new members of the House of Representatives and the Assembly will be installed on Oct.1. Presidential and vice presidential elections will be held in November. (05/prb)