NU silent on 'bughot' meeting

SUKABUMI, West Java (JP): Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Syuriah (law-making body) failed on Wednesday to reveal the result of its meeting on the use of bughot (rebellion) for those who want to unseat President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

In a media briefing following the meeting, Azis Mashuri, chairman of the association of NU boarding schools (pesantren), said that the result of the bughot meeting will provide input for the NU plenary meeting scheduled to take place in Cilegon, Banten, from April 13 to 15. The statements disappointed many who had been expecting a firm decision from the meeting.

Deputy secretary general of NU central board Masduki Baidlawi, one of NU's deputy chairmen, Andi Jamaro, and chairman of the East Java NU law-making body Masduki Mahfud were also present in the media conference.

Leading members of the 40 million-member NU were gathering here, some 110 kilometers south of Jakarta, to discuss actions against the move to oust the President.

Reliable sources said that the bughot meeting discussed three main issues; the legality of Abdurrahman Wahid's election as President in 1999, the necessary response to the waves of demonstrations held by opposition to Abdurrahman, and the response to actions that are undermining the government.

Earlier, NU's Joint Command (Komando Bersama) announced in Sukabumi that it had trained at least 50,000 people who were ready to go to Jakarta to defend the President, should the House of Representatives (DPR) issue a second memorandum of censure against the President in early May.

The joint command consists of youth wing organizations, including Ansor, Garda Bangsa, Association of NU Youths and Students, and the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII).

Earlier in Jakarta, President Abdurrahman Wahid condemned his die-hard supporters' threats to launch an Islamic holy war or jihad against moves to unseat him, an aide said.

"The President completely disagrees with the extreme measures that some people are calling for in his defense," presidential spokesman Adhi Massardi told reporters at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday.

He said Abdurrahman had ordered police to prevent his supporters from taking radical action.

Abdurrahman is currently locked in a bitter political struggle with the House over his erratic leadership style and alleged involvement in corruption.

He has denied any wrongdoing and has flatly rejected demands that he quit.

Earlier, Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. said the government was preparing for violence as Abdurrahman's supporters vowed to resist mounting calls for him to resign.

"The President hopes that the willingness to prevent conflict will come from all sides, including the DPR," the minister added, after a breakfast meeting with Abdurrahman, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri and top military and police brass.

Later in the day, Mahfud said in Bandung that the Sukabumi meeting could become a potential political burden to the nation.

"The political burden could be eliminated if all members of the political elite refrained from making (political) statements, which provoke their rivals," he told reporters after attending the handing over of an NB 105 helicopter from aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia to the Indonesian Navy on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, M. Darwis, a sociologist at the Hasanuddin University in Makassar, South Sulawesi, blasted the NU ulemas' move saying that it would further distance NU from its main (religious and social) course.

"Plans to declare Gus Dur's political foes as bughot is a setback," Darwis, who is also a political observer, commented. He said he was very surprised that NU would take such a move (over bughot) when the President was an NU man.

Abdurrahman had chaired NU for 15 years.

"In the past, when Soeharto was president, all his opponents were netted by laws on subversion. Now the term bughot will be used as justification by Gus Dur's determined defenders to do anything."

Abdurrahman should prevent the ulemas from such a digression, Darwis said.

Rejection against NU's plan over bughot and the jihad resolution was also voiced by Cholil Bisri, a senior figure of NU, as well as an aide to President Abdurrahman.

Cholil, who is also a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) and of the National Awakening Party (PKB), said in Rembang, "I strongly reject the idea."

"It is unacceptable that there are those who are willing to fight to the end for Abdurrahman. If NU members want to conduct a jihad, why don't they fight against national disintegration, poverty and stupidity," Cholil said.

"If anybody against Gus Dur is called bughot, then those opposing any leaders in the future will receive similar treatment."

Speaking about the (political) meeting of 200 ulemas at his pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Rembang on Tuesday evening, Cholil said that the result of the meeting would be submitted to anybody, including Gus Dur, Megawati, speaker of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais and DPR speaker Akbar Tandjung. (02/byg/25/27/har/sur)