Megawati told to take lead in ending political stalemate

Megawati told to take lead in ending political stalemate

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, in her
capacity as chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), must take the initiative to mediate
between President Abdurrahman Wahid's supporters and critics, led
by People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, a
sociologist said.

Lambang Trijono from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University told
The Jakarta Post on Sunday that Megawati should take the
initiative to end the political stalemate and bring peace to the
warring groups.

"She is the leader of the country's biggest party, which is
now in a neutral position. PDI Perjuangan is not taking either an
anti or pro-Abdurrahman Wahid stance. These are important points
for her to lead her party in the peace effort," Lambang said.

"The initiative must be taken soon or the conflict will
continue to build and become an open conflict involving the
masses."

Lambang was speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony on
Saturday to induct Gunawan Sumodiningrat as a professor of
economics.

According to Lambang, if Megawati took the lead in the peace
effort, it would also serve to mend any rifts in her party, he
said, referring to the fact that there were party members who had
been active in the campaign to force Abdurrahman out of office.

Thousands of supporters of President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid from East and Central Java -- most of them members of the
country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),
which was chaired by Gus Dur for 15 years -- have left for the
capital to defend the President.

NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi earlier warned of possible bloodshed
and said another two million Gus Dur supporters could flood into
Jakarta in the matter of days.

Lambang said that to keep supporters of the 40 million-member
NU from rushing into Jakarta, the political elite must begin to
negotiate a peace.

According to Lambang, neither Abdurrahman's or Amien's camp
could take the initiative to begin negotiations.

"The mediator must be a party or individual from outside the
warring parties," he said.

"Golkar Party could not act as a mediator in the peace effort.
Golkar is now in Amien's camp."

From the political point of view, he added, the current
political battle involved old and new players, represented by Gus
Dur's supporters. "They (Gus Dur's supporters) were mostly people
who were marginalized by the New Order regime, a regime that
Golkar is a symbol of."

In a separate interview, veteran sociologist Nasikun, who also
teaches at Gadjah Mada University, said mass rallies by NU
supporters to defend the President were the result of the
political quarrel at the level of the elite.

"The political elite ... must take the blame for the mass
rallies. Do not blame the people at the grass roots," he said.

According to Nasikun, the huge rallies by Gus Dur's supporters
were proof that the recent anti-Gus Dur campaign organized by
Student Executive Boards (BEMs) was an error.

"This is an important lesson for the students that they cannot
easily claim to represent all of the people when holding
demonstrations."

He said the reaction by NU members and supporters of Gus Dur
was based on a number of factors, including the charisma of the
President and the fact that he is the grandson of the founder of
NU, Hasyim Asyari.

Image of NU

Meanwhile, political observer Ichlasul Amal said the mass
rallies by NU supporters would backfire on the organization.

Amal, who is also a member of the executive board of
Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization
which Amien Rais once chaired, said NU followers had gone too far
with their street rallies in Jakarta.

"It would be better for them to save the image of NU than to
flock to the streets for a short-term political target," he said.

Amal said he believed Gus Dur's resignation would lead to a
political compromise between political leaders.

In the West Sumatra capital of Padang, the chairman of the
United Development Party (PPP), Hamzah Haz, suggested that the
House of Representatives not waste energy considering a second
memorandum of censure against Gus Dur. The first memorandum of
censure was issued in February.

"A special session (of the Assembly) to ask for the
President's accountability is preferable," said Hamzah, a former
coordinating minister for people's welfare who was dismissed by
Abdurrahman.

He said the conflict between the President and the House was
related to allegations that the President was involved in two
financial scandals.

The lingering conflict between the political elite has led the
country to this situation, he said.

"The government will find it very difficult to lift the nation
out of this catastrophe. Given this situation, any policy from
the administration will not work because the House will counter
it," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying after
attending a ceremony in Padang to mark the 28th anniversary of
PPP. (44/sur)