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'Gusdurians' slam Rusdi Kirana
Rusdi Kiranaâs claim that he joined the National Awakening Party (PKB) because he admired Abdurrahman âGus Durâ Wahid has drawn criticism from supporters of the partyâs cofounder and icon
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R
usdi Kirana's claim that he joined the NationalAwakening Party (PKB) because he admired Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid has drawncriticism from supporters of the party's cofounder and icon.
Ahmad Basuni Salim, representing a group of people claiming to be followers of Gus Dur or 'Gusdurians', said that they did not know who Rusdi was and doubted if he had ever been a supporter of Gus Dur. 'Many people claim to be Gusdurian but their behavior is anti-Gus Dur,' he said.
On Sunday, PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar announced that Rusdi, cofounder and chief executive of the nation's largest commercial airline Lion Air, had joined the party as his deputy. 'As deputy chairman, Rusdi will improve the party's strength and greatness in the 2014 election,' Muhaimin said.
Rusdi reportedly said that he joined PKS because he admired Gus Dur as a champion of pluralism. 'Gus Dur made me, as a Chinese boy, feel that I am equal to people from other ethnicities in this country,' he said as quoted by tempo.co.
Basuni, however, said that Rusdi was known to be close to former National Mandate Party (PAN) and Muhammadiyah chairman Amien Rais. He added that none of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) clerics knew Rusdi.
He added that, if Rusdi knew Gus Dur, he would not have joined the PKB under Muhaimin, whom he said had betrayed Gus Dur and NU clerics.
