Instructions issued against Susilo, Megawati
Indra Harsaputra and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja The Jakarta Post/Surabaya/Jakarta
As the final round of the presidential election draws near, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) clerics have issued conflicting recommendations to woo support from voters grouped in the country's largest Muslim organization.
A few weeks after a number of clerics, who run Islamic boarding schools in Pasuruan, East Java, issued a statement against female leaders, on Sunday NU clerics who met in Lirboyo boarding school in Malang, East Java, called on NU supporters not to vote for a candidate with a military background.
The female leader refers to Megawati Soekarnoputri, the incumbent president, who will face her former chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired Army general, in the Sept. 20 runoff.
Lirboyo boarding school leader Idris Marzuki announced his own election "guidelines", which included an instruction for Muslim voters to shun military candidates. Marzuki's statement was issued shortly after a series of meetings with Megawati's running mate Hasyim Muzadi, who was the NU chairman before getting tabbed to run with Megawati.
"The recommendation will counter the move by Raudatul Ulum boarding school leaders (in Pasuruan), who forbade Muslims from choosing a woman as president," Idris said.
The antimilitary recommendation was signed by dozens of clerics from various Muslim boarding schools across East Java. They also expressed full support for Megawati and Hasyim.
Populous East Java, the stronghold of NU, will be one of the most hotly contested areas, as there are more than 25 million registered voters -- one-sixth of the nation's electorate.
Shortly before the first round in July, a number of clerics, including influential leader from Langitan boarding school, Abdullah Faqih, recommended that NU followers vote for the Golkar Party's presidential candidate Wiranto and his running mate NU figure Solahuddin Wahid, in addition to an order for Muslim voters not to vote for a woman.
Susilo and his running mate Jusuf Kalla, garnered the highest number of votes in the July poll in East Java, followed by the Megawati-Hasyim ticket and the Wiranto-Solahuddin pairing.
On Sunday, Hasyim attended a reunion at the Lirboyo boarding school and met thousands of students. Susilo is slated to visit Pasuruan on Monday.
Also attending Sunday's meeting in Lirboyo were Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu and Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agiel Munawar.
The two presidential candidates, meanwhile, proceeded with their busy schedules over the weekend, with Megawati visiting an influential NU cleric in Tasikmalaya, West Java, and Susilo flying for Singapore to visit ailing Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.
Megawati visited Suryalaya boarding school in Tasikmalaya along with Golkar Party leader Akbar Tandjung and Pramono Anung Wibowo, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) deputy secretary-general.
"I'm only here for a friendly visit," Megawati explained to the boarding school's headmaster Abah Anom.
Abah Anom also said a prayer for Megawati's success, but refused to confirm that the prayer was an expression of support.
Earlier on Saturday, Megawati and Hasyim visited the grave of her father, founding president Sukarno in Blitar, East Java.
Susilo went to Singapore on Sunday to visit Nurcholish, who has been getting treatment there for almost a month after undergoing a liver transplant in China.
Meanwhile, Susilo's running mate Kalla met with members of the Independent Journalists Association in a hotel in South Jakarta.