Nahdlatul Ulama set to establish new political party
Nahdlatul Ulama set to establish new political party
SEMARANG (JP): Hundreds of leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
have agreed to set up a political party -- 14 years after
Indonesia's largest Islamic organization shunned politics.
The scholars gathered at the Raudhatul Thalibien pesantren
(boarding school) in Central Java town of Rembang on Saturday to
discuss their stance following the opening of political corridors
that enables individuals and organizations to set up their own
political parties.
Attending were, among others, Cholil Bisri, Syukron Makmun and
Matori Abdul Jalil from Jakarta; Attabik Ali from Yogyakarta;
Yusuf Muhammad from Jember, East Java; Rawasid As'ad from
Situbondo, East Java; and Aziz Mashuri from Jombang, also East
Java.
NU was established in 1926 as a socioreligious organization.
Prior to 1984, NU was involved in politics, first as a political
organization and later as a faction within the United Development
Party (PPP) which was a fusion of several Moslem parties.
In 1984, it broke away from PPP out of disappointment over
party executives' policies and vowed it would shun politics.
Recently, some NU figures flirted with the notion of
establishing a political party, which was neither discouraged nor
encouraged by the executive board. Chairman Abdurrahman Wahid,
however, insisted that NU members await the board's directives on
the issue.
Cholil, also a member of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), said the time had come for the NU to again play a role in
the national political arena.
The Indonesian Women's Party (PP), the Indonesian Workers
Party (PPI), the Musyawarah Kekeluargaan Gotong Royong (MKGR),
the Chinese-Indonesians for Reform Party (Parti) are several
political parties that have been established recently.
The NU leaders and scholars also agreed to assemble again in
Jakarta on Aug. 17, to officially form the new party.
Existing laws say only the dominant Golkar, PPP and the
Christian-nationalist alliance Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
are allowed to contest general elections. President B.J.
Habibie's government is preparing a draft to amend the laws and
enable more parties to participate in polls.
PDI
Meanwhile, several local PDI chapters in Deli Serdang, North
Sumatra, and in Lampung declared Saturday their support for
ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri. They called on her
rival Soerjadi, who with government support ousted Megawati in
1996, to step down and let her lead the party to win the next
elections.
The Deli Serdang PDI chapter issued a statement, signed by 11
activists in Lubuk Pakam on Saturday, calling on Soerjadi's
executive board to stand down and voluntarily hand over
leadership to Megawati.
The chapter also urged Megawati to replace members of PDI
factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) and MPR who
obtained their seats through alleged practice of collusion and
nepotism.
Activist Effendy Manulang said PDI secretary-general Buttu
Hutapea, House Deputy Speaker Fatimah Achmad and Panangian
Siregar, now minister of environment, should be dismissed from
the legislative body because they did not win the minimum votes
required in last year's elections.
"They are representing not PDI members but the computer used
to manipulate the number of PDI votes in North Sumatra in the
last general election," he said.
A number of PDI activists and sympathizers in Lampung also
declared support for Megawati's leadership and urged PDI chapters
in the provinces and others to follow suit. (har/21/rms)