Tutut invited to visit NU boarding schools
Tutut invited to visit NU boarding schools
JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid offered yesterday to accompany
Golkar leader Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana on visits to any of the
boarding schools run by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem
organization.
Abdurrahman, chairman of the 30 million-strong organization,
said all NU boarding schools, known as pesantren, were open to
political leaders.
Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, better known as Mbak (elder sister)
Tutut, is President Soeharto's eldest daughter.
"If Mbak Tutut is willing to visit the pesantren of NU, I will
gladly accompany her," said Abdurrahman.
Abdurrahman, also known as Gus Dur, was responding to
speculations that he has shifted political allegiance.
Over the past two years, Abdurrahman has had close ties with
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) who was ousted last year by government-backed
Soerjadi.
Yesterday, he denied abandoning PDI for Golkar and Megawati
for Hardiyanti. Speculations about his presumed about face became
widespread following recent notable events, including his first
handshakes in years with President Soeharto, Vice President Try
Sutrisno and Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono.
"It is not true. NU is open for any political leaders looking
for support for the upcoming general election," he said.
He said he was giving equal opportunity for Hardiyanti to
attract NU members the way Megawati had done.
"I want to give NU members the freedom to choose the best
political party in the May general election," he said.
"I don't want to persuade NU members to vote for certain
political parties. I want the political leaders to try to
influence NU members on their own," he said.
Nahdlatul Ulama, established in 1926 as a socioreligious
organization, was 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, the PPP and the PDI.
Nahdlatul Ulama is a rural-based organization; students and
leaders of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) make up the bulk
of its membership.
He said he did not invite Golkar chairman Harmoko to visit the
boarding schools because the gesture would "meaningless."
"Harmoko has more pesantren than Nahdlatul Ulama. What could
be gained by his visiting a pesantren of Nahdlatul Ulama?" he
said. He did not elaborate.
He said he did not offer to accompany PPP leaders on visits to
the boarding schools, either, because they were no strangers to
NU members.
"It's not necessary," he said.
He predicted the PPP would perform worse in the May general
election than it had in 1992. He said he would be willing to help
the PPP if the current PPP chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum,
stopped alienating the Nahdlatul Ulama. (imn)