NU leaders step up moves to end political crisis
SURABAYA (JP): Racing against time, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leaders have held meetings with several politicians over the past few days, in an apparent bid to reconcile the ongoing political stalemate that may result in a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly.
Less than 24 hours after gathering political party figures associated with NU, chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization, Hasyim Muzadi, flew to his East Java home town of Malang on Thursday to host a meeting between alumni of the Gontor Islamic boarding school.
Indonesian Ulemas Council secretary-general Din Syamsuddin, who is a former Golkar executive, Justice Party president Hidayat Nurwahid, and noted political and cultural observer Emha Ainun Najib were among 250 participants in the Malang meeting, which took place at Hasyim's Al Hikam Islamic boarding school.
Hasyim said the gathering was "a brotherhood visit aimed at seeking a united understanding of crucial problems facing the nation".
No official statement was released after the event, but Hasyim said he called on participants to take initiative in maintaining national unity and preventing clashes between people at the grass roots.
"House of Representatives legislators, particularly those who represent conflict-prone areas, should come and speak to their constituents. Never ignore the people's aspirations and the demand of lower streams," Hasyim said.
His statement came after around 1,000 female activists linked to NU marched to the provincial legislature in Surabaya in support of embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid. The crowd, claiming to represent Women Who Care for Reconciliation, held aloft pictures of Abdurrahman while criticizing House speaker Akbar Tandjung and Assembly speaker Amien Rais.
"We oppose the planned Assembly special session, which is unconstitutional. We don't support anybody, but will fight any political maneuvering which is prone to inciting conflict at the grassroots level," the group's spokeswoman Julia said.
The House will convene in a plenary session on May 30 to review Abdurrahman's response to the second memorandum of censure issued one month prior. Most factions in the House have signaled their agreement to call an Assembly special session to impeach the President.
Also on Wednesday, hundreds of Abdurrahman supporters rallied across another East Java town, Situbondo. Calling themselves the Anti-Coup d'etat Forum, the people, mostly youths, besieged the regional legislature to express their support for the President and opposition to the Assembly special session.
The group demanded that Regent Disaman and legislative council speaker Aqiq Zaman sign a statement rejecting the Assembly special session.
Violence erupted when the two officials did not meet the request. The crowd pelted the council's windows with stones before leaving the scene.
Earlier in the day, a group of unidentified people attacked the house of a local National Mandate Party (PAN) executive, Sayonara, with firecrackers. Nobody was injured in the predawn raid, but many of Sayonara's belongings were damaged.
It was the second act of terror aimed at executives of Amien Rais' PAN in East Java within a week. Last Friday eight party officials' houses in Situbondo and Bondowoso were attacked, two of them set on fire.
Meanwhile in Tegal, Central Java, hundreds of people grouped in the Diponegoro Force almost disrupted a ceremony installing new executives of PAN's local chapter at the Korpri building on Thursday.
PAN deputy chairman A.M. Fatwa led the ceremony on behalf of the party's chairman Amien Rais.
Security personnel managed to disperse the protesters, who said they rallied to reject any Assembly special session to impeach the President.
After leaving the building, the group mobbed a photographer from Republika daily, Agus Wijanarko, for taking photographs of their activities. The mob snatched Agus's camera before beating him up.
Tegal Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Lutfi Lubihanto said the people also attacked the house of newly elected PAN local chairman Djohan Firdaus, removing his furniture and setting fire to it. Djohan's wife and children managed to escape the violence.
Police said no arrests had been made but investigations were under way. (45/nur/emf)