Gus Dur's motive for meetings questioned

Gus Dur's motive for meetings questioned

JAKARTA (JP): Amien Rais expressed perplexity on Monday over Abdurrahman Wahid's recent personal meetings with President B.J. Habibie and Minister of Defense Gen. Wiranto, saying the campaign to establish a national dialog should be conducted with others.

Amien insisted that a national dialog should involve all interest groups, and going it alone as Abdurrahman seems to be doing would not settle problems that created the need for national dialog.

"I'm really sorry that I have to say that he (Abdurrahman) has gone it alone," Amien said. He used the term 'nyelonong', a Javanese word for a person who suddenly scampers away from his group. "If I were him I would stick to prior agreements, though we may have differences over certain matters," he said.

Amien, who chairs the National Mandate Party (PAN), and Abdurrahman, the leader of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic organization, belonged to what is known as the Ciganjur Group. It originated from a renowned meeting at Abdurrahman's house in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, between four reformist figures: Amien, Abdurrahman, Megawati Soekarnoputri of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party, and Yogyakarta monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

Abdurrahman, also known fondly as Gus Dur, met with Wiranto last Wednesday and Habibie last Saturday to discuss various problems troubling Indonesia. The meetings were believed to be a follow-up of Abdurrahman's call for a national dialog to head off the threat of social revolution.

Amien said the two meetings could be considered silaturrahmi (gatherings of good friends). He said the closed sessions could not be seen as a national dialog. "We cannot say that a meeting between a few people is a national dialog," he said.

"I hope that both meetings were called upon Gus Dur's personal initiative, (that he was acting) not on behalf of the signatories of the Ciganjur declaration," he said.

The Ciganjur meeting issued a five-point declaration and eight calls to the government. One point in the leaders' declaration says the Armed Forces' sociopolitical role should be phased out within six years at the latest.

The leaders called for a fair and just general election monitored by an independent team to be held next year.

They also called for the fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism to be intensified, with Amien at this point adding that the drive should begin with an investigation into the wealth of former president Soeharto, his family and his cronies.

Describing the state's problems as an acute and dangerous disease, Amien said only a national dialog could function as surgery to cure the condition.

"The national dialog, involving all parties of interest, must be held in a transparent manner and be open to the press," he said.

Amien also called on students not to relent in pressuring the government to eliminate corruption, collusion and nepotism, beginning with an investigation into Soeharto, his family and his friends.

"If the student actions stop, the pro-status quo supporters will make a terrifying comeback," he warned. (imn)