No interference

No interference

From Merdeka

The government need not interfere in the Nahdlatul Ulama row
following its recent congress. The rift in the organization will
not harm national stability. The crisis stems from
dissatisfaction of a number of NU members at the reelection of
Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) as the General Chairman of party for
1994-1999 period. It is better to leave it to them to solve the
leadership crisis.

The election of Gus Dur as Chairman of the organization means
that the NU still has confidence in and support his policy. And
this really reflects bottom-up political vision. So Gus Dur may
be a future leader who holds the key to change. However, Gus
Dur's overlapping opinions and attitudes, vague and dubious
vision, often lead many circles to doubt his capacity to bring
about democracy.

I think the position of chairman of NU is not final for Gus
Dur but rather serves as a stepping stone towards more effective
network of non-governmental organizations, national as well as
international ones. Gus Dur should aim to allow democracy to
flourish in Indonesia.

AGUS MIFTACH

Jakarta