Not all NU ulema against Megawati, Sholeh says
Not all NU ulema against Megawati, Sholeh says
SURABAYA (JP): Unlike their superiors, a group of Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU) followers here voiced their acceptance of the
impeachment of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.
The Jam'iyyah Ahlit Thariqah Mu'tabarah (Jatmi), an
organization of sufi followers under NU, said in a statement on
Friday that they had insisted from the beginning on the
acceptance of the Special Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) that asked then president Abdurrahman to account
for his administration.
The MPR revoked Abdurrahman's presidential mandate on Monday
and named his deputy Megawati Soekarnoputri his successor.
"From the beginning we have not been involved in politics. But
when asked, we will answer that we all realized that the Special
Session was God's will. The fall of Gus Dur and the rise of Mega
was also God's will," Jatmi's leader Sholeh Marzuki said.
"Those who talk a lot about politics are NU figures who are in
the NU leadership structure. They are directly linked with the
interests of the power brokers."
Sholeh, also the leader of Nurul Islam Islamic boarding school
here, said the NU leadership was involved in politics to protect
their vested interests, while ulema at the grass roots chose to
stay out of politics and were concerned with religious matters
only.
East Java is the strongest power base of NU, the country's
largest Muslim organization with an estimated 40 million
followers. Abdurrahman led NU for 15 years before becoming
president in October 1999.
Sholeh said the ulema wholeheartedly welcomed the appointment
of Megawati as the new President.
Sholeh warned NU members against pursuing short-term
interests, including resisting the current political reality, but
appealed to them to promote a long-term vision for the nation's
sake.
He deplored the mobilization of NU members from East Java to
Jakarta to support Abdurrahman and reject the MPR Special
Session.
"Politics is just a short-lived matter. That is why we have
never involved ourselves in it," Sholeh said.
He said his organization had planned to host a mass prayer in
Surabaya where NU members were expected to pray for the
restoration of peace, security and stability throughout the
country.
Earlier in the day, about 200 people from the Surabaya
People's Council took to the streets demanding the dissolution of
Golkar and a snap general election.
They also demanded the government punish top military and
police officers who were involved in the tragedy of July 27,
1996, when a number of Megawati's supporters were killed in a
government-backed takeover of the headquarters of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI), which Megawati chaired.
"Reopen the case and bring to court the military generals who
were involved in the killings," the protesters shouted. (nur)