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Indonesia: Islamic Group Calls On Wahid To Quit
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
JAKARTA (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid came under serious pressure Sunday when the Istiqlal caucus, a powerful and huge Islamic camp held by five Islamic organizations, urged him to resign.
The grouping also tried to prevent the mobilization of his supporters.
Saying it was pointless that Wahid should call on supporters to come to Jakarta in order to rally on his behalf and try to prove his popularity, the alliance stated that resigning would save the country from the spectacle of another wave of reformasi demonstrations.
"Gus Dur [Wahid's nickname], in his capacity as the country's leader, has no better conviction toward the people and nation, so he does not deserve to lead the nation anymore," said Lukman Hakim, a representative the Ka`bah Youth Movement, at the caucus.
Also present at the caucus were representatives of the Indonesian Muslim Students Association, Muhammadiyah Youth Association, Muslim Youth Movement and Hizbullah Brigade, Muslim University Students Association, Indonesia's Younger Generation for Development and Justice Party Youths.
Hakim added that Wahid's election, although not satisfactory to all sides, did bring better living conditions in the country and the realization of a reform agenda combating corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN), upholding the supremacy of the law, reducing conflicts and threats to national disintegration, and stemming unemployment.
However, he said that Wahid had been trapped into committing corruption by not being able to combat KKN practices, failing to restore the economy by exhausting the state budget through state visits, not reducing threats of disintegration, and making controversial statements that rocked the country's political and security condition.
"So our demand for Gus Dur to resign is not based on our ambition, or the rivalry between the Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammadiyah, or between Muslim modernists and conservatives. It is based more on our conscience to question the future fate of the nation if Gus Dur continues to serve as the country's leader," he explained.
Thus, he added, mobilizing supporters with the aim of threatening, frightening and terrorizing the community should be stopped.
Expressing support for a leader should be done through rational ways without causing the people any harm, he added.
Thousands of Wahid youth supporters in East Java have threatened to hold demonstrations in Jakarta the middle of this month.
On the other hand, senior Muslim clerics known as kyai in the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic organization vowed yesterday to support Wahid as leader of the nation until the end of his presidential term in 2004.
NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi called on the political elite to boost solidarity and stop bickering about the legitimacy of Wahid's presidency. He said all genuine Muslim clerics fully back the embattled president.
"I have never come across any kyai who don't support [Gus Dur]. If there is one who rejects the leadership of Gus Dur, it may be a person pretending to be a kyai," Muzadi said during a ceremony in Probolinggo, East Java, at which people sought and offered forgiveness.
The ceremony was attended by the President himself, Muslim leaders from around East Java and local community leaders.
Muzadi said NU has always supported the Indonesian presidency. "NU gave a pledge of support to the democratically-elected president and to founding president Sukarno and [former president] Suharto. NU does not differentiate between who the president is and where he comes from. As long as the president is elected constitutionally, we will give our support."
The NU leader said politicians ought to cease debating whether Wahid should step down. "Gus Dur was elected democratically and receives his legitimacy from the people. If this matter is brought up for debate, it would only cause problems," he said.
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