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)