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)