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)