NU remains neutral in political tension
SURABAYA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid said yesterday his 30-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) will remain neutral in the current political tension.
NU is not interested in following in the footsteps of numerous organizations that have massed and pledged allegiance to the government for some political goal, he said.
Abdurrahman, better-known as Gus Dur, said after attending a seminar that many organizations have been following the trend, with one aping the other.
"They tend to be copycats. From way back, they have always been Pak Turut (imitators). It is best for NU to just keep quiet," he told The Jakarta Post.
Various groups, mostly those well-connected to the bureaucracy, have been queuing to present statements of support for the government and the Armed Forces in handling the unrest that followed the forceful takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party headquarters.
The government has blamed a tiny student movement called the Democratic People's Party (PRD) and its affiliates for inciting the riots.
On Sunday, thousands of activists held a rally in Jakarta in a show of support for the government, demanding that the PRD be dissolved.
Abdurrahman said that NU was concerned with the riots that occurred last month, but did not believe that such declarations would in any way allay the situation.
He underlined that NU would not issue a statement in support of the government or those who were against it.
"Such statements would not help solve the crisis legally. On the contrary, such statements would only serve to confuse matters further," Abdurrahman said.
When pressed on the fact that certain NU members had issued a statement of their own, Abdurrahman replied that each member is free to do so in their personal capacity.
"They're welcomed to do so. NU won't press sanctions against them. It's their personal business. However, the political risks should also be shouldered by them," he said.
He warned against the trend of using religion to seek justification for political activities.
"Don't connect every act with a religious justification. We'd be going backwards then ... We won't progress that way. It would be a setback," he said, affirming that there was no obligation for Islamic organizations to make such political statements.
Abdurrahman further refuted suggestions that he or NU had connections with the PRD, as insinuated by certain officials.
"That's just a game of those in power accusing people as they like," he charged.(15/mds)