Political observers criticized for PDI stance
Political observers criticized for PDI stance
JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of the Nahdlatul
Ulama, lashed out at defenders of the government's hands-off
policy on the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
An observer will lose his intellectual credibility if he
speaks at the behest of a certain person or party, the leader of
the country's largest Moslem organization said on Friday.
"In that case the person becomes a craftsman because he will
no longer be able to think objectively," Abdurrahman said.
Three political scientists, Afan Gaffar of Yogyakarta's Gadjah
Mada University as well as Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin and Amir Santoso
from the University of Indonesia, presented their papers at a
discussion in Jakarta last week.
The meeting, which was sponsored by the Indonesian Public
Administration Society in cooperation with the State Institute of
Public Administration, tried unsuccessfully to find a solution to
the prolonged leadership crisis facing the PDI's East Java
chapter.
The discussion angered a number of PDI leaders who called it
further intervention in the party's internal affairs.
The party's central board leaders accuse the local East Java
authorities of interfering with the party's provincial leadership
and giving rise to rival PDI leadership there.
At the discussion, however, the participants said that the
government was not to blame for the crisis.
"If it is true that the government aims to sabotage the PDI's
performance in the upcoming general election, it would have
meddled in the party's other provincial branches as well," said
Nazaruddin.
Many who attended the discussion were disappointed by the
speakers, whom they said just toed the government line and put
the sole blame on the PDI, the Antara news agency reported over
the weekend.
Abdurrahman said that political observers were once more
objective but that their behavior has become so rude lately that
they no longer have the ability to see problems impartially.
He also defended his re-election at the Nahdlatul Ulama's 1994
congress in Cipasung, West Java, which Amir Santoso said was
rigged.
Abdurrahman said Amir has intervened too much in Nahdlatul
Ulama's internal problems without having complete data.
"When a political observer has lost his honesty he has failed
as an intellectual and no longer has any credibility whatsoever,"
Abdurrahman said. (tis)