Kompas 
Saturday, 17 May 1997

                         Gus Dur meets Megawati
                                       
   Jakarta, Kompas Online
   
   After making a trip to the districts for the last few days, with
   Functional Group Central Directing Board Chairperson Mrs Siti
   Hardiyanti Rukmana or Mbak Tutut, the Nahdatul Ulama Central Board
   (PBNU) General Chairman Abdurrahman Wahid on Wednesday night (14/5)
   took the initiative to meet Megawati Soekarnoputri at her residence on
   Jalan Kebagusan, South Jakarta.
   
   In that meeting with Gus Dur, Megawati recounted, in response to
   questions from Kompas and Memorandum at her house on Friday (16/5),
   that it had mainly the character of "long time no see" between two
   friends, and was much seasoned with Gus Dur's specific kind of joking.
   
   "Hey, just meeting with Gus Dur becomes news. Gus Dur has said time
   after time that when there is time to spare he just has to make a call
   here. Nothing special, I just asked whether he had already taken food.
   Usually Gus Dur likes supermi noodles. But I have several times
   promoted the Kebagusan fried rice as the best in the world, it turned
   out he was willing to try it," said Megawati with a smile.
   
   Because Gus Dur currently often makes trips like a spinning top,
   recounted Mega, Gus Dur told about those tours. "Yes, that's what our
   talks were about. Every time we meet, that's the way it goes," she
   said, adding that the meeting lasted some 90 minutes.
   
   "I did ask Gus Dur to tell me something funny that happened during the
   trip. I said then, between substantial matters and joking the dividing
   line is no longer clear. There is political joking, there is jocular
   politics, there is jocular joking, whatever," said Mega.
   
   When asked whether this meeting with Gus Dur was special, mainly
   because it came after Gus Dur had often been meeting Mbak Tutut? "Even
   you people didn't when Gus Dur sidestepped here. Now it is just
   coincidence that some knew,' said Mega.
   
   Asked whether the meeting was related to Gus Dur's effort to approach
   Megawati again, because many of the PDI mass supported the PPP
   campaign, Mega only smiled.
   
   Mega added that her relations with Gus Dur were not at all as stated
   by some people, that Gus Dur had distantiated himself from her or had
   even become opposed to her. In the context of friendly relations, said
   Mega, everything was going just normal.
   
   Had Mbak Mega asked about Gus Dur's trip with Mbak Tutut? "Of course I
   asked. I did say that the one currently spinning like a top was Gus
   Dur. So I do need some passing view of what went on in the districts
   that he saw," said Mega.
   
   Asked whether she discussed relations between NU and PDI, Mega said
   she did not discuss very serious matters. "Our chat was full of jokes
   although there was some political weight. It was mutual relaxing,"
   recounted Mega.
   
   Must be looked at overall
   
   Concerning a mass of pro-Megawati supporters who still join the
   campaigning, although there had been an order of the day that she and
   her supporters were not to participate in the 1997 Campaign, Megawati
   said that the matter had to be looked at overall.
   
   "You have to know it well first. I did intend that order of the day to
   be grasped by more of the PDI members. PDI members are those within
   the structure, PDI members with identity, PDI supporters and PDI
   sympathizers. We must see this clearly. Well, the existing system is a
   floating mass system. When the question is asked whether some are
   still campaigning, that is really still reasonable, But
   organizationally, the order of the day must be obeyed well," she said.
   
   Mega was of the opinion that campaigning is part of the feast of
   democracy which all people must enjoy happily and merrily. "From what
   I see, the campaign is now very tense, isn't it," said Mega.
   
   So Mega thought that the "Mega Star" phenomenon was just part of the
   creativity and spontaneity of young people to enliven that feast of
   democracy. "Is the term Mega-Star really related to my name? I think
   it was true when Buya said that what was meant was a big Star," she
   said.
   
   Asked about the step wanted to be taken by part of the pro-Megawati
   PDI mass, namely to put their votes in escrow with the PPP, Megawati
   said that was part of the political education of the public. "The
   general elections regulation says direct, general, free, secret. So is
   the so-called piercing a duty? It appears that is a political right,
   to make a choice. So if the term escrow is used, does that concern
   goods?" she said.
   
   Further Mega said that the masses on the campaign path cannot yet be
   counted as real power or voting power. "I think it is overreacting to
   fear the spontaneity of the masses. Everything that takes place during
   campaigning does not represent a concrete matter that can be
   calculated with any level of reasonability," she said.
   
   She gave an example. During the 1992 General Elections, Jakarta was
   totally red. "We thought we would get very many votes. Well , beyond
   all that, the story was different when it came to counting votes.
   There are many things we need to calculate in. Many variables which
   are difficult to calculate with any level of reasonability. Two times
   two is not always four," recounted Mega.
   
   During her meeting with Sukoharjo PDI members at her residence some
   days ago, Megawati affirmed that the pro-National Conference PDI
   cadres must continue to adhere to the order of the day issued by the
   Central Directing Board, namely that the pro-National Conference PDI
   does not join the campaign process. The PDI cadres were asked to
   remain patient and disciplinary awaiting the order of the day which
   will be issued on 22 May on the eve of the Quiet Week. "When there are
   PDI members who are naughty, well, pull their ears," she said. (*)