Asia Times: Muslim scholar Wahid wins presidency



	October 21, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Muslim scholar Wahid wins presidency
By Kafil Yamin

JAKARTA - Islamic scholar Abdurrahman Wahid has won the Indonesian presidency, edging out his previous ally Megawati Sukarnoputri in the country's first democratic presidential vote.

The 59-year-old Wahid, a nearly blind cleric, won 373 votes in the People's Consultative Assembly, against 313 for Megawati, daughter of Indonesia's founding president Sukarno. State television showed Megawati raising the hand of Wahid, who until the latter stages of contest had pledged support for her Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P). He decided to become a candidate as ''a voice of clean politics''.

Wahid made a brief but emotional statement that he would celebrate his ''joint victory'' with Megawati and work with her. Megawati's party won the parliamentary elections in June with 34 percent of the vote.

''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 (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.

Minutes after Megawati's defeat, a car bomb exploded near parliament as an estimated 10,000 of her supporters marched on police lines. They had expected Megawati to win after incumbent president B J Habibie pulled out of the race.

Wahid's victory was a sign of the support he drew from an alliance of Muslim-based parties - the United Development Party (PPP), Habibie's Golkar and the Star-Crescent Party. It also reflected a perception that the well-respected Wahid would be acceptable to most Indonesians, in contrast to doubts aired in some quarters about Megawati's large number of non-Muslim followers. Wahid, also know as ''Gus Dur'', heads Indonesia's largest and most influential Islamic organization, the Nadhlatul Ulama, estimated to have 35 million members.

Megawati had been widely expected to win, but she proved 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'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'' - vote-buying - 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 in which state-controlled Bank Bali reportedly gave pay-offs to people pushing Habibie's candidacy.

Little of Wahid's program for government is known, though some expect greater political influence for the country's 90 percent Muslim population. Undoubtedly though, he has huge clout because of his standing in the Islamic community.

Wahid is known for making unpredictable moves and decisions and says he is fit to be president despite having suffered two strokes in recent years. Many have termed him an effective power broker. ''His moves have always been directed at maintaining his position as someone who gives the final word,'' 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 the Bandung branch of the Nadhlatul Ulama. Other supporters say they back him not because of his political acumen but as a religious leader. He is also said by some to have the gift of prophesy.

By early Wednesday, there were three candidates for the presidency. Apart from Megawati and Wahid, Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the Crescent-Star Party launched a bid after the assembly rejected Habibie's ''accountability speech'' in the early hours. He withdrew his candidacy just after the election session opened, ''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 candidacy after his speech defending his record during his 17-month presidency was rejected by the MPR by a vote of 355 to 322. His Golkar party made a late attempt to nominate party leader Akbar Tanjung, but he declined it.

Habibie said he accepted the MPR's rejection of his performance. ''Even if the outcome is not in favor of me, I am happy to see democracy blooming,'' he said.

(Inter Press Service)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.