'NU feels Gus Dur is being ousted'

'NU feels Gus Dur is being ousted'

CILEGON, Banten (JP): The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim
organization would accept ikhlas (sincerely) the reality that
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid be deposed from power only if the
incumbent were to be replaced via a constitutional political
procedure, chairman Hasyim Muzadi said on Sunday.

"If Gus Dur is removed via a constitutional process, I think
there would be no resistance from the grassroots.

"But, NU's kyais (religious leaders) feel that Gus Dur is
being 'ousted' by force and by unfair means. So, the kyais think
that they have to defend the President, not because he is Gus
Dur, but as part of the effort to fight tyranny," Hasyim told
reporters after the closing of NU's three-day plenary meeting
before dawn on Sunday.

The meeting, which discussed NU's internal affairs and the
country's latest political situation, issued seven taushiyah
(recommendations), including the kyais' approval of a plan to
impose stern measures against bughot ("political rebellion"),
calls for a jihad (holy war), and the planned istighotsah (mass
prayer) on April 29 in Jakarta.

The three-day meeting concluded that the discussion of bughot
must be seen in terms of armed activities by the country's
separatist movements. The movements, NU said, are not the sole
responsibility of the government, but also of the political
elite.

The meeting, however, rejected the planned use of violence, or
calls for NU members to join a jihad to defend Gus Dur until
their death, but underlined that such a move was responding to
the move by Gus Dur's political opponents to topple him.

Hasyim said the country's worsening situation had its roots in
two major elements -- Gus Dur's perceived weaknesses and the move
by the political elite to accelerate his downfall.

"As an example, they (members of the political elite) have
caused disorganization within the country's legal and economic
system. Such a maneuver was a precondition for the President's
downfall," he said, but did not elaborate.

The move, however, only caused suffering among the people,
particularly when the elite used force, violence and
unconstitutional means, he said.

Hasyim, who claimed to have repeatedly criticized Gus Dur on
many occasions, voiced his concern that the ongoing political
bickering had caused disunity, particularly among the Muslim
community.

When reminded that the pressure on Gus Dur to resign had come
from the Muslim community, Hasyim said: "they were Muslims but
they did not perform their religious obligations...they even
mixed religion with politics."

Hasyim said the dispute among the Muslim community could not
be simplified as NU against Muhammadiyah (a Muslim organization),
citing that the dispute was an attempt by the old guard to return
to the political arena."

The old guard, he said, used unlimited funds to buy whatever
they needed, including power.

Concerned about the conflict among the Muslim community,
Hasyim said that he and several Muslim leaders, such as Muslim
scholar Nurcholish Madjid and Muhammadiyah chairman Syafi'i
Maarif, held periodic meetings and had come to the conclusion
that the conflict had been stoked by some Muslim figures who had
used Islamic symbols to divide the people into pro and
antigovernment camps.

"Some Muhammadiyah members disagreed with the political moves
by its top figures, but they were reluctant to express their
opinion," he said.

Hasyim said that a peaceful approach, through dialog, was an
alternative way of settling the political dispute.

"If the peaceful approach is unsuccessful...which means that
the current state leadership has failed to carry out the mandate
given by the people, we must therefore return the mandate to the
people by holding an accelerated general election," he said.

"Through an accelerated general election, polarization at the
grassroots level would melt away as it would have no more grounds
to continue the conflict.

"The general election could hopefully 'erase' the desire of
certain members of the political elite to seize power for their
own interests," Hasyim said.

When asked if he doubted the capability of Vice President
Megawati Soekarnoputri to replace Gus Dur should the latter
resign, Hasyim said, "If Megawati were to replace Gus Dur, she
would have to deal with the mountain of problems that already
exists, and it would be her turn to face all the criticism". (02)