Megawati meets Abdurrahman, but enmity remains

Megawati meets Abdurrahman, but enmity remains

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Giving a false impression of reconciliation, President
Megawati Soekarnoputri (second from right) shakes hands with
former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid during the opening
of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) national meeting at the haj dormitory
in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta on Thursday.

Megawati initially skipped Gus Dur after shaking hands with NU
lawmaking body chief Illyas Ruchiyat (to the left of Gus Dur) and
went straight to influential cleric Abdullah Faqih (left) and
other guests on the front row.

However, Megawati then came back to Abdurrahman to shake his
hand lightly after her husband Taufik Kiemas (center, wearing
glasses) gestured for her to do so.

No words were exchanged between the two.

Shortly afterwards, Abdurrahman left the venue, before
Megawati made her opening speech.

When asked whether he was disappointed with Megawati's
gesture, Abdurrahman quickly said: "No ... and it (the shake
hands) has nothing to do with reconciliation".

Once longtime friends, the two became enemies when Megawati,
then Abdurrahman's deputy, helped topple him from the presidency
and then replaced him.

Since his fall from power, the two have never spoken or
greeted each other, despite being present once in the same room
at a Chinese New Year celebration in Jakarta in January.

Unfortunately, both leaders failed to seize the moment at
their meeting on Thursday to end their hostility.

Abdurrahman's brother, Solahuddin Wahid, also an NU leader,
criticized Megawati as "childish" for reluctantly shaking hands
with her ousted predecessor at such a rare meeting.

"She should have taken the initiative to shake hands with Gus
Dur because she was in front of him. Her move to shake hands with
Gus Dur was not a sincere expression of reconciliation," he said.

"It shows she is childish," added Solahuddin.

NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi, who replaced Abdurrahman while he
was president, said his organization had been trying to reconcile
the two leaders.

When Hasyim invited Megawati to open the NU national meeting,
the latter immediately agreed to the invitation.

Nevertheless, Hasyim added that one of Megawati's presidential
guards had asked him a few days ago whether Gus Dur would attend
the event.

"If Mbak Mega and Gus Dur continue to keep a distance, then
there must be something wrong with them.