Gus Dur's clamorous tour

Gus Dur's clamorous tour

President Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur as he is popularly
called, is back home after a 16-day working tour which took him
to Mid East, European and Asian countries.

During the trip, despite his frail health, the President
energetically tried to boost bilateral economic cooperation,
hoping to increase foreign investment in an effort to revitalize
Indonesia's ailing economy.

Well-informed people here must be concluding that from
economic and political point of views, the presidential tour has
had a positive result. Not only have the leaders of the host
countries showed a willingness to help Indonesia, but during the
tour the President demonstrated that there is political stability
in our country and that the former Muslim cleric-turned-national
leader is the very leader Indonesia needs today in its struggle
to establish a civil society.

Before his departure, there were rumors that a coup would be
staged by frustrated Army generals. But Abdurrahman was confident
that the majority of military leaders and the populace were
behind him. In such a situation, he seemed to believe that no
officers would be stupid enough to attempt to seize power because
it would prove suicidal. When Abdurrahman arrived back home on
the weekend, the rumors were proven to be a mere tempest in a tea
cup.

During the tour, Abdurrahman, in his own peculiar style, even
challenged the seemingly fragile situation by issuing a
controversial order for Coordinating Minister for Political
Affairs and Security Gen. (ret) Wiranto to resign from his post
in order to prepare for questioning by the Attorney General's
Office. The general, who was the former military chief, has been
implicated by the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights
Violations in East Timor in the massacre and arson in the former
Portuguese colony following the self-determination ballot last
year. "Wiranto sure needs to relax to prepare for what lies
ahead," he was quoted as saying.

The political situation at home suddenly became heated when
the general, who is a loyalist of former president Soeharto,
defied the President's order. The controversy worsened when the
President not only repeated his call through the press, but also
instructed Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono, who is Wiranto's
direct subordinate, to reiterate the order. Wiranto flatly
refused to acquiesce.

What Abdurrahman's actual intention was by demanding a
resignation while he was abroad is not very clear. He may have
been testing his authority, or his ability to create a sensation
and his ability to end it. The presidential order confused many
people, so much so that one seasoned military and political
observer said it might be prudent to establish a special body to
analyze Abdurrahman's controversial statements in order to avoid
chaos.

He might be right, but on almost all occasions Abdurrahman has
been able to solve the problems he created himself. When, only
weeks after he was elected by the People's Consultative Assembly,
he embarked on his first foreign tour to Southeast Asian
countries, he was severely criticized in many circles. He was
branded an insensitive leader because the November visit was not
relevant to the political situation at home. At the time the
danger of national disintegration was very real. They said he
should have visited Aceh, where separatist groups were waging an
armed rebellion, and Maluku, where sectarian violence had claimed
so many lives.

But Abdurrahman remained determined. His move later proved
justifiable because economic healing does not tolerate delay, and
later it became obvious that the trouble in the two restive
provinces would take months or perhaps years to solve.

Hopefully Abdurrahman will land on both feet again this time.