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Wahid Unleashes Legions Countering Resignation Call
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Embattled Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has stepped up a campaign to hold on to a shaky presidency by unleashing his "fearless legions" of supporters a report said Thursday.
Wahid political opponents said they expect major clashes in the streets of main cities in Indonesia today, including Jakarta and Madura on Java Island. Wahid draws the majority of his support from the Java islands.
As a result of Wahid's call for a war against his opponents, thousands of his supporters called for one of his leading critics to be killed. Leading experts on Indonesia believe the threat could be carried out if it remains unchecked.
Critics told IslamOnline in Kuala Lumpur that opposition leader Amien Rais now faces a dangerous situation as no one except Wahid can control the Nladhatul Ulama (NU) mobs if they are unleashed to counter his opponents.
NU supporters in the port-town of Ketapang, in Wahid's heartland of East Java, 3,000 demonstrators, carrying sickles and machetes, vowed to attack Rais, the speaker of the nation's highest legislative body, and one of Wahid's most outspoken opponents.
Muhamad Haikun, a protest organizer, said: "We're going to wage war against Amien Rais' followers." Later in the day, a group of people forced their way into Rais's office, but left with a police escort when they discovered Rais was not there.
About 100-armed police officers watched the protest but did not intervene. Police in the town said an unknown group marked several houses belonging to people opposed to Wahid with red crosses late Wednesday night. They said it was a sign of possible impending violence between Wahid supporters and opponents.
The NU has a support base of 40 million, representing approximately 20% of the total Indonesian population of 210 million.
About a thousand Wahid supporters held a rally in front of State Palace on Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara on Thursday.
One of the supporters said that 32 groups from all over Indonesia would soon join in the action. He said many supporters from Banten, Cirebon, Madura, Lampung, Maluku, Aceh, and East Nusa Tenggara had arrived in Jakarta. He estimated that other supporters from Probolinggo and Pasuruan in East Java would soon join the pro-Wahid rally.
The rally in Jakarta focused on Rais, House of Representative (DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung and the Students Executive Body (BEM) of the University of Indonesia (UI), all of whom have consistently demanded the President's resignation.
One of the speakers said the action was not a show of force, but was intended to express the aspiration of the majority people, considering recent conditions.
In another development, Wahid's office denied he ordered the national Garuda Airlines to pay him $300,000 while he was in Saudi Arabia performing the Hajj.
The affair has enraged Parliament, learning that Wahid spent that amount of money during his travels. Parliament stated they would probably claim an inquiry over the expenditure.
The presidential office Wednesday denied the money sent to Wahid was obtained improperly, saying it had come from its own coffers.
"We ran out of money because we had anticipated that our expenses would be paid for by the government of Saudi Arabia, as in past visits to other rich Middle East countries," said Wahyu Muryadi, head of the presidential palace's protocol office.
As it turned out, the Saudi government only covered the expenses of 35 of the 85-member entourage during the five-day pilgrimage tour in the country.
The expense coverage included Wahid and members of his family, his doctors and secret service personnel, in addition to a couple of MPs traveling with them.
A letter circulating since Monday among parliamentarians and student activists critical of the President revealed that the presidential office had asked national airline Garuda Indonesia to send $300,000 to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the entourage ended its two-week trip to Africa and the Middle East.
Legislators yesterday called for an audit into the presidential treasury to see if there were any irregularities.
The transfer of funds is the latest controversy to hit Wahid, who is under mounting pressure to resign over his alleged role in two other financial scandals.
Last month, the Supreme Audit Board said the presidential secretariat had misused 58% of the funds it received from the state.
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