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Gus Dur to meet Yudhoyono over split within PKB
Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who has staunchly criticized the current government, said Saturday he will hold a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday night
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Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who has staunchly criticized the current government, said Saturday he will hold a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday night.
"I have been contacted by Jaya Suprana asking about this plan, and I told him that I will meet SBY on Monday night," Gus Dur said, referring to the president director of private herbal company PT Jamu Cap Jago, who is one of his close friends.
Addressing a gathering of the National Awakening Party (PKB) at the Miftahul Ulum Islamic boarding school in Surabaya, East Java, Gus Dur said he would ask Yudhoyono at the meeting to fight corruption seriously.
"Do you all like SBY?" Gus Dur asked the audience as reported by Antara. They then quickly replied "No".
"Neither do I. But I want to meet him to tell him what I will accommodate of him," Gus Dur, who is now the chief patron of PKB, said.
Gus Dur said he would use the meeting to challenge the current President about whether he dares to combat corruption seriously and put the state in order.
"If he dares to do so I will support him. If not then I will not. I will be just be open with him. I will tell him that I am only able to accommodate him a little," Gus Dur said.
The planned meeting comes amid a bitter rift within the PKB that was split into two factions -- one led by Ali Masykur Musa who is loyal to Gus Dur and the other by Muhaimin Iskandar, a deputy House of Representatives speaker.
Gus Dur and his loyalists have openly accused Yudhoyono and his aides of inciting the internal bickering within the PKB, in order to block his bid for the 2009 presidential election.
Several days after Muhaimin was dismissed as PKB chairman in April, he immediately sought support from Vice President Jusuf Kalla for his camp.
Earlier this month, the Gus Dur faction lost two legal battles against his political foes in support of Muhaimin, who is his nephew.
In separate sessions, the South Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of Muhaimin and Lukman Edy, who Gus Dur dismissed in 2007 as PKB secretary-general after Yudhoyono appointed him as minister for underprivileged regions.
The court said Lukman should be reinstated as the party's secretary-general.
A panel of judges said the dismissals of Muhaimin and Lukman were both illegal and violated the party's constitution.
The Gus Dur camp rejected the verdicts as "political decisions" influenced by elites connected to power holders.
Gus Dur is now challenging the verdicts through an appeal with the Supreme Court.
He accused the Yudhoyono government of pressuring the district court in favor of Muhaimin.
The dual leadership has jeopardized the participation of the PKB, the third largest party in Indonesia in popular votes, in the 2009 general elections.
