Taufik holds 'private meeting' with Gus Dur

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas met former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization, which Gus Dur once led.

Gus Dur, whose fall from power last July catapulted Megawati to the presidency, described the talks with Taufik as a "private meeting" despite the fact that it was attended by National Awakening Party (PKB) executives Alwi Shihab, A.S. Hikam and Arifin Junaidi. Gus Dur is one of the founders of the PKB.

Also present were Cahyo Kumolo and Suparlan, both legislators of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), who arrived with Taufik.

Gus Dur claimed it was Taufik who initiated the 30-minute meeting held at 1:30 p.m.

He said Taufik had initially wanted to see him at the hospital, where Gus Dur underwent treatment for fatigue last week, but he was discharged on Saturday before Taufik could visit.

Gus Dur said the meeting was part of the current "political process", in which Muslim-based parties have been holding regular meetings to prepare for the 2004 elections.

Representatives from the nationalist-based PDI-P, led by Megawati, have been conspicuously absent from the meetings.