THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GUS DUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 013379 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2016 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KDEM KISL ID SUBJECT: THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GUS DUR REF: A. JAKARTA 13303 (NU CONSERVATISM) ¶B. JAKARTA 13304 (PKB SPLIT) ¶C. JAKARTA 11376 (JAKARTA GOVERNOR'S RACE) JAKARTA 00013379 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador B. Lynn Pascoe, reason: 1.4 (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) During a November 30 meeting with the Ambassador, an uncharacteristically reserved former President Abdurrachman Wahid (aka Gus Dur) gave his views on U.S.-Indonesia relations and President Bush's visit, Indonesia's economic shortcomings, and developments within Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the National Awakening Party (PKB). Wahid was unsparing in his criticism of President Yudhoyono, but generally optimistic about the overall direction of the country. He appeared to be in relatively good health and answered questions clearly and in a measured, statesmanlike fashion. End Summary. U.S. INDONESIAN RELATIONS -------------- ¶2. (C) Gus Dur characterized President Bush's November 20 visit as a success, telling the Ambassador he believed U.S.-Indonesian relations were generally healthy. The former President noted the protests by several Islamic movements in the lead-up to the visit and expressed satisfaction with the fact that the visit unfolded as planned despite the best efforts by some to obstruct it. He felt, however, that the visit did not help SBY politically as Yudhoyono failed to articulate to the Indonesian people how the visit would benefit them. FAILING GRADES FOR SBY ON ECONOMY -------------- ¶4. (C) Gus Dur sharply criticized SBY's stewardship of the economy, decrying a lack of urgency in implementing much needed reform and condemning what he saw as an overall lack of consistency in his approach to the economy. Noting SBY's heavy overseas travel schedule, Gus Dur questioned his priorities as President and asked rhetorically "how can he justify all these trips abroad (given conditions at home)?" (Note: We point out the irony of this argument coming from a former President that was routinely criticized for his overseas travel. End Note) ¶5. (C) Wahid also took SBY to task for what he said was SBY's myopic focus on the "growth approach" to the economy. This excessive emphasis on growth was damaging and needed to be balanced by a parallel focus on distribution. After the 
Ambassador pointed out that both growth and distribution were hampered by the ruinous forces of corruption, Gus Dur agreed that comprehensive economic reform would not be possible without first tackling corruption. ¶6. (C) When the Ambassador noted the success of regional economies such as Vietnam in attracting investment and expressed hope that Indonesia would soon follow suit, Gus Dur lamented the double edged sword of the global economy. He conceded global forces were here to stay and acknowledged the obvious benefits of globalization, but argued that Indonesia would need to pursue a form of "modified capitalism." Global economic forces surely could be harnessed to Indonesia's benefit, he agreed, but other unintended byproducts of globalization such as Islamic radicalism and unhealthy nationalism would also have to be managed. SBY'S LACK OF LEADERSHIP -------------- ¶7. (C) The former President lamented the government's lack of direction and focus, arguing that SBY's failure to reign in a bloated and inefficient bureaucracy was emblematic of his inability to chart a course and stick to it. Contrasting SBY's first two years with Megawati's tenure, Gus Dur argued that despite all of her failings as President, Megawati at least knew how to follow through on a policy decision. An even more significant indictment of SBY's leadership, Gus Dur argued, was the mostly incompetent cabinet he had assembled. How could anyone respect the leadership of a President that had tapped Yusril Mahendra as State Secretary and turned a blind eye to the rampant corruption in Sugiharto's Ministry JAKARTA 00013379 002.2 OF 002 for State Enterprises? NU IS DRIFTING -------------- ¶8. (C) When the Ambassador solicited Gus Dur's views on signs of increasing conservatism in NU (Ref A),Wahid was economical with his words. He characterized NU as "drifting," but commented that "all organizations are corrupt," and expressed optimism about being able to pursue his agenda in NU. He dismissed the "big name" conservative forces within the organization as irrelevant and said that ultimately the village kias, or traditional clerics, understood what was best for NU and Islam; they would assert their moderating influence accordingly. PKS JUST AS CORRUPT -------------- ¶9. (C) Wahid was only slightly more expansive on the subject of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Gus Dur pointed to the party's nomination of Adang Daradjutan (Ref C) as its candidate for Governor of Jakarta as evidence of the fact that PKS was becoming just as corrupt as any other political party. He questioned how a party allegedly rooted in the idea of clean governance and Islamic morality could survive if it was willing to associate itself with a character as morally shaky and "un-Islamic" as Adang. The party was losing its way morally though Gus Dur was quick to add that Hidayat Nur Wahid, the Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and a former President of PKS, was a "good man." WAHID STILL ACTIVE IN PKB -------------- ¶10. (C) Wahid declined to discuss the much publicized split within PKB (Ref B) or the overall state of his party's health. He offered instead that he was still extremely active in PKB party politics and that dialogue within the party was egalitarian in nature. Wahid explained that in the course of leadership meetings he always went to great lengths to entertain and respect dissenting voices. In the event a colleague disagreed with one of his opinions, he would always ensure the issue was put to a vote. If his idea was defeated - which he said was sometimes the case - he always respected and endorsed the majority decision. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) Gus Dur looked healthier than at any time in recent memory. The former President clearly had little interest in discussing developments in PKB or NU in substantive fashion, but he did not hesitate to criticize the President. The former President was not in a particularly expansive mood, but he nevertheless seems convinced that the forces of religious conservatism are losing their momentum. PASCOE