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)