Singapore Resources
APR 15 1997

           I'm not helping Golkar campaign, says Muslim leader
                                      
     JAKARTA -- Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid has denied helping
     President Suharto's daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, also known as
     Tutut, to campaign for Golkar.
     
     According to the Jakarta Post, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman
     and Mrs Rukmana, who were at mass prayers with 35,000 NU members in
     the East Java town of Madiun on Saturday, described the gathering
     -- the third in less than two weeks to be held in NU strongholds in
     East and Central Java -- as a religious, not a political one.
     
     The 30-million-strong NU has shunned politics formally, but it
     gives its members the freedom to affiliate themselves with any
     political group.
     
     Mr Wahid's appearance with Mrs Rukmana at NU meetings has sparked
     controversy. His critics say he has brought NU to the political
     stage. Even NU members have stayed away from the gatherings, which
     they say are "full of political overtones" in favour of Golkar
     ahead of next month's election.
     
     To these criticisms, Mr Wahid stressed that NU was still committed
     to being apolitical and to fulfilling its mission of promoting
     education, and that the meetings were for introducing Mrs Rukmana
     to NU members.