NU clerics warn House against toppling Gus Dur

NU clerics warn House against toppling Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): Some 40 clerics from East Java on Wednesday
warned certain groups in the House of Representatives against
toppling President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, saying such
action would incite unrest among the people and ulemas in the
province.

Akiq Zaman, who led the Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) clerics, said
that both ulemas and the people of East Java would not tolerate
the political conspiracy to unconstitutionally topple the
President that was being engaged in by some legislators.

"We cannot accept the way legislators are criticizing the
President and the political conspiracy in the House to topple the
government. The House should remain critical of the government
but the criticism should not be out of proportion," he said at a
meeting with House Speaker Akbar Tandjung here.

Akiq said the House should respect the President's five-year
term of office as it was guaranteed by the constitution.

"The nation will be facing a chaotic situation and pay a high
social cost if the President is forced to step down now while the
constitution guarantees his tenure until 2004," he asserted.

He said the political situation in East Java had been heating
up.

"We feel that we're losing our authority and the people in the
province no longer listen to our instructions as they have
persisted in going to Jakarta to counter antigovernment
demonstrations and Gus Dur critics," he said.

Abdullah Fakih Muncar, a cleric from Banyuangi, warned that
both Akbar and Amien Rais, the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) speaker, must be held responsible if Gus Dur is forced to
step down before 2004.

"All the criticism that Akbar and Amien have unleashed against
the President has been totally out of proportion and has caused
unrest among the people and ulemas. For us, Gus Dur is not only a
President but also an influential spiritual leader and many
believe that he carries an angel on his shoulder," he said.

Abdul Hadi, a cleric from Bondowoso, criticized the way the
House special committee had been investigating the Buloggate and
Bruneigate scandals, saying it had provoked students and certain
Muslim groups to stage antigovernment demonstrations in an
attempt to force the President to step down.

"The strange and crucial thing is that the special committee
has assumed that the President was involved in the scandals. It
is no longer a secret that there is a conspiracy to topple Gus
Dur.

"If the President is forced to step down after the House's
plenary session on Jan. 29, bloodshed will ensue and the state
will be devastated," he warned.

The special committee is investigating Gus Dur's alleged
involvement in the fraudulent withdrawal of Rp 35 billion (US$3.3
million) from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) by his masseur,
and the fate of a $2 million donation from the Sultan of Brunei
which the President claims was a personal gift.

The committee is scheduled to unveil the results of its
investigation at the House plenary session on Monday.

Meanwhile, Akbar, who was accompanied by House deputy speaker
Tosari Wijaya and Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, deputy chairman of
Commission II on home and legal affairs, denied that he has
frequently harassed the President, saying he has a good personal
relationship with Gus Dur.

"During the Idul Fitri holiday, I personally met the President
to apologize for the mistakes and trespasses I had made
unintentionally in the past, and he did likewise," he explained.

He said he had asked legislators of the Golkar Party to avoid
unethical words in criticizing the President but said he could
not prevent those from other parties from being less considerate.

"Criticism and differences of opinion must be accepted as
normal in a democracy, and legislators are allowed to criticize
the President as part of the House's control function," he said.

Akbar stressed that the House was committed to safeguarding
the President's tenure until 2004, as long as he did not violate
the Constitution, MPR decrees or the law.

"But, it would be difficult to produce legal evidence that the
President violated the Constitution, MPR decrees or the law," he
said.

He also criticized a noted NU ulema's statement made in a
sermon that those who assassinated Akbar or Amien Rais would be
accepted into heaven, saying that it was very unethical for an
influential cleric to deliver such a sermon.

"Despite the offending sermon, I will remain calm and not
react," he said.

Akbar, however, told reporters later that he could not accept
President Wahid's invitation to a post-Ramadhan gathering at the
Merdeka Palace on Saturday because of his tight schedule.

"The invitation is a good initiative and should get a positive
response from legislators so as to help ease the tension between
the legislature and the palace. But, I cannot attend the
gathering," he said, adding that he had personally greeted the
President during the Idul Fitri holiday.

Some other legislators also turned down the invitation.

Bachtiar Chamsyah, chairman of the House special committee
investigating the Buloggate and Bruneigate scandals, said he
would be very busy on that day.

Samuel Koto, a member of special committee from the Crescent
Star Party (PBB) faction, said that he would not accept the
invitation so as to allow other legislators to avail of the
opportunity.

"There won't be enough space at the Merdeka Palace to
accommodate 500 legislators. Let my fellow legislators have their
chance first. Maybe, we will have another opportunity to hold
such a gathering in the future," he said. (rms)