Ulemas air support for Gus Dur's presidency

SURABAYA, East Java (JP): A meeting of senior ulemas of East Java pledged on Sunday to give their support to President Abdurrahman Wahid until the end of his term in 2004.

The commitment was made in a meeting between President Abdurrahman, senior figures of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization and police leaders in East Java, which was hosted by KH Abdullah Faqih and attended by NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi and East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. E. Sutanto.

East Java's senior ulemas such as KH Yusuf Hasyim of Jombang, KH Muchith Muzadi of Jember, KH Zarkasyi of Banyuwangi, KH Idris Marzuki and Zainuddin Jazuli of Kediri and KH Fawaid of Situbondo were among influential leaders attending the meeting.

Central Java's KH Muslim Imam Puro of Klaten attended the meeting as a guest.

"The Kyais (ulemas) in an overnight informal meeting discussed various social and political developments and agreed to support Abdurrahman Wahid's administration until 2004 in a critical way," said KH Yusuf Muhammad, deputy chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) who attended the meeting.

Prior to President Abdurrahman's arrival on Sunday, an overnight closed-door meeting of the influential Kyais took place in the 170-year-old Langitan Islamic Boarding School.

"The overnight meeting mostly discussed the Kyais' concerns over rampant abuse of power among elites and tendencies within society to take the law in its own hands," Yusuf said.

In the Sunday meeting with the President, KH Agus Abdullah Habib Faqih, the son of KH Abdullah Faqih, claimed that the gathering was "non-political ... and was planned long before the Christmas Eve bombings."

"We are very much concerned with the lack of nationhood, the prolonged economic and social crisis and violence backed by powerful parties. Everyone has pointed fingers and tried to avoid responsibility," Agus said.

President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Sunday that despite mounting criticism of his leadership, he and his government faced no immediate political danger and called on his supporters not to resort to mobilizing masses in his defense.

"Just leave politics to me. Do not worry, I am still calm," Abdurrahman said.

"If I can no longer stand it, I will run to see the Kyais."

East Java is the stronghold of NU, the country's largest Muslim organization, which Abdurrahman headed for 15 consecutive years until he became the country's first democratically-elected president in October 1999.

Abdurrahman is the founder of PKB, which came fourth in the 1999 general election with 51 legislative seats in the House of Representatives.

NU leaders have warned that tens of thousands of NU supporters in East Java were ready to march on Jakarta to defend Abdurrahman against his political opponents should they mobilize masses to hold anti-Wahid protests in the capital.

There are rumors of plans for mass anti-Wahid protests in the capital on Jan. 15.

"To those people who are striving to unseat me, please go ahead, I have the courage to march forward and I have no fear.

"Many have spoken behind my back, among other things that 'the President has a prerogative right, why then does he hide behind the Vice President?' Such remarks are twisted.

"I also have the right to consult with the Vice President. So, what's to hide?" Abdurrahman said.

The Kyais in the meeting came up with five points of taushiyah (advice) which call for the country's executive, judicial and legislature to go back to their original tasks and oaths to bring Indonesia out of the crisis, to end political violence, to achieve national reconciliation, to stop criminal actions and to stop society taking the law into its own hands.

Earlier on Saturday, Abdurrahman was quoted by Antara as saying that there were four groups bent on ousting him from power.

He identified the groups as those with strong ambitions for power, those who are afraid of legal actions by the government, those who wanted to maintain the status quo, including supporters of former president Soeharto and several generals, and those using religion for their own ends.

The President, however, did not mention any names.

He also said that opposition to his government was merely the work of only a few people.

"At the most, 16 people in the legislature," Wahid said, again mentioning no names. (nur/edt)