NU may support PDI in 1997 general election
NU may support PDI in 1997 general election
JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid strikes again. On Saturday he hinted that he may mobilize the 28 million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which he chairs, in support of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in the 1997 general election.
Gus Dur, as he is better-known, made the comments at a fast- breaking dinner hosted by besieged PDI boss, Megawati Sukarnoputri.
Addressing the reception, Gus Dur stressed that it was important that Indonesia's largest Moslem organization link up with the PDI, which is a Christian-nationalist alliance.
"I'm obliged to go hand in hand with her (Megawati) whom I believe to be the nation's future leader," said the NU leader, who was democratically re-elected for the third consecutive term in December.
He added he was aware that the public was curious about his increasing public appearances with Megawati, the eldest daughter of the late former president Sukarno. She was elected to the PDI chairmanship by popular vote during a chaotic party congress in late 1993.
"There has been speculation about whether the NU will throw its weight behind the PDI in the coming election. The answer is 'wait and see', because the NU doesn't play formal politics," he said.
Both Gus Dur, who is probably Indonesia's most controversial figure, and Megawati are regarded as campaigners for democracy. Both are facing dissension from within their own organizations as well as "external pressure", aimed at weakening their political clout.
On their way to their leading positions, they both defeated government-backed candidates in party congresses filled with political intrigues.
"It should not be surprising if NU moves closer to the PDI because the two organizations have had a lot of similar experiences," said Gus Dur, who also chairs the group Forum Demokrasi.
He said that as a democracy campaigner, he would not demand that NU members vote for the PDI in the 1997 election. "I have no right to ask even my wife to vote for the PDI," he said.
The NU, which was established in 1926 as a socio-religious organization, was once a powerful political party before merging with other Moslem parties to form the United Development Party (PPP) in 1973.
In 1984 it withdrew from formal politics but individual members remain free to affiliate with any of the three parties: Golkar, PPP and PDI. Gus Dur was a member of the People's Consultative Assembly, where he represented the ruling Golkar, in the early 1980s.
Under Megawati the minority PDI has been aggressively garnering support from a broad spectrum of Indonesian society. She often visits major NU-affiliated Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren) apparently in order to win their backing.
When Gus Dur emerged as the winner of the tense, tight election at the latest NU congress in the West Java town of Garut last December, Megawati presence was conspicuous.
In his address on Saturday, Gus Dur said that his close relations with Christians have often aroused his fellow Moslems' curiosity.
"I have been asked: if I can have good relations with Christians, why can't I cooperate with Abu Hasan?," he said. Abu was Gus Dur's strongest contender in the December NU chairmanship race, and was believed to enjoy the government's support.
Gus Dur said cooperation was often easier to achieve than cooperation between two individuals. (rms)