INDONESIA: Muslim Scholar is New President, Vows Clean Politics

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Kafil Yamin

JAKARTA, Oct 20 1999 (IPS) - A respected Islamic scholar, Abdurrahman Wahid, on Wednesday emerged as Indonesia’s next president, edging out his previous ally Megawati Sukarnoputri in the country’s first democratic presidential race.

The 59-year-old Wahid, a nearly blind cleric who joined the contest at the last minute, got 373 votes in the People’s Consultative Assembly as against 313 for Megawati, daughter of Indonesia’s founding president Sukarno.

State television showed Megawati raising the hand of Wahid, who until the last stage of the race had pledged support for her Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP) but said he threw his hat in so there was “a voice of clean politics”.

Still, supporters of the popular Megawati — who had expected her to win the presidency after incumbent President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie pulled out of the race — reacted angrily to the vote in the streets.

Wahid made a brief but emotional statement that he will celebrate his “joint victory” with her and work together with Megawati, whose party had gotten the biggest bulk of 34 percent of the vote in June’s parliamentary election.

“This is the second proclamation of independence after 1945 that was announced by Megawati’s father, Bung Karno,” Wahid told delegates of the People’s Consultative Assembly or MPR.

“Now I and Megawati will travel the city, meet the people, and calm down the situation,” he said, clearly aware of the potential for unrest by his rival’s disgruntled and restless supporters who had gathered in central Jakarta Wednesday evening.

Two bombs went off on Wednesday, and at least seven people were reported injured by the second blast.

Wahid’s victory was a sign of the support he drew from an alliance of Muslim-based parties, the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar Party and Star-Crescent Party.

In many ways, it also reflected the perception that the well- respected Wahid could be acceptable to most Indonesians, in contrast to doubts aired by some quarters about Megawati’s large number of non-Muslim followers.

Megawati was widely expected to win by many quarters but observers she was unable or unwilling to do more to translate her party’s win in the June poll, into a political coalition that would make her president.

Wahid, also called ‘Gus Dur’, heads Indonesia’s largest and influential Islamic organisation, the Nadhlatul Ulama, that is estimated to have 35 million members in this mainly Muslim country.

Wahid’s National Awakening Party had been part of a political alliance with Megawati until Wahid said he was disturbed by reports that Megawati’s supporters had been indulging in “money politics” to get electoral backing in the presidential race — a charge Megawati’s party denies.

Wahid’s pledge to introduce clean politics may go down well in a country tired of scandals, including one where a state- controlled bank reportedly gave pay-offs to people pushing Habibie’s candidacy.

But little of Wahid’s programme of government is known, though some say they expect a government led by him would result in greater political influence by the country’s 90 percent Muslim population.

Undoubtedly though, he has held huge clout because of standing in the Islamic community. Wahid is known for his unpredictable moves and decisions and says he is fit to be president despite having had two strokes in recent years.

Many have dubbed him an effective power broker. “His moves have always been directed at maintaining his position as someone who give the final word (to disputed problems),” said a Jakarta- based foreign journalist.

To his congregation members, however, he is a man who receives directives from heaven. “You see, his controversial moves and statements have frequently been proven to be true,” said Endang Sobirin, a member of Bandung branch of the Nadhlatul Ulama.

Others supporters say they back him not because of political acumen or skills, but as a religious leader in society.

Tales of his abilities as someone who can make prophecies also abound. “Once I heard him saying that some will come to see him by noon. He got no information before because I was with him along an out-of- town trip for three days. But someone did come that day,” one supporter recalls.

The presidential election process — the first such democratic one after Suharto stepped down amid public protests in May 1998 — was originally among three candidates.

Apart from Megawati and Wahid, there was Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the Crescent-Star party who launched his bid after the assembly rejected Habibie’s “accountability speech” past midnight Tuesday, then withdraw his bid just after the election session opened.

Right after the session validates his name as presidential candidate, he asked for the floor and said he was pulling out “for the sake of my good relationship with my brother Abdurrahman Wahid”, in an apparent attempt to swing support for Wahid.

Habibie himself had withdrawn his bid for the presidency after his speech defending his record and detailing his achievements during his 17-month presidency, was rejected by a vote of 355 to 322 votes.

Habibie’s Golkar party made a last attempt to have a candidate on the race by nominating Akbar Tanjung, party leader, but he declined it.

Habibie, who became president after Suharto handed over power to him, meantime says he accepts the MPR’s rejection of his performance.

Briefing the press early Wednesday in his residence, Habibie said: “I follow the process of the voting. And even if the outcome is not in favour of me, I am happy to see democracy blooming.”