JK-WIN GAINING WIDE MUSLIM SUPPORT

By Andi Abdussalam

akarta, June 22 (ANTARA) - Although until recently, various public opinion polls showed the Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto (JK-WIN) presidential election ticket to be trailing behind the two other pairs, it is now increasingly getting wide support from Muslim clerics and Muslim organizations.

        After gaining support from at least 1,500 Muslim clerics in East Java on Sunday, the JK-WIN duo on Monday received a promise of support from about 18 million members of Islamic study and prayer groups throughout the country.

        "We hope about 18 million members will vote for Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto," Tuty Alawiyah, chairwoman of the All-Indonesia Islamic Women's Study and Prayer Club Contact Body (BKMT), said.

        Kalla's success in winning the sympathy of Muslim clerics is partly due to his intensive approaches to Muslim organizations such as the country's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) which claims a membership of 30 million.

        Last month, for example, Kalla who is also chairman of the Golkar Party, held a cordial meeting with NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi. "I have their blessings," he said after the meeting with Muzadi and other NU leaders.

        Kalla came to the NU office along with the chairman of the Golkar Party faction in the House of Representatives, Priyo Budisantoso, and party figure Aksa Mahmud. The meeting , held behind closed doors, was led by NU chief Hasyim Muzadi.

        "Thank God, as an NU member and a presidential candidate, I have been able to meet with NU leaders to ask for their blessings," he said. NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi meanwhile said he was glad that an NU member would participate in the presidential race.

        "Thank God, an NU member will run for president. Previously, he only ran for vice president and now for president. We wish him success and God bless him," Muzadi said.

        In East Java on Sunday, about 1,500 Muslim clerics expressed support for the JK-WIN presidential ticket for the upcoming presidential race on July 8, 2009.

        "We have held a limited consultation to forge a common perception and now we are ready to declare our joint determination to support the JK-WIN duo," East Java's Muslim Clerics spokesman, cleric Anwar Iskandar (Gus War), said.

        The Muslim clerics which support Kalla in East Java included Muchid Muzadi of Jember district, Sofyan Miftah (Situbondo), Choli As'ad (Situbondo), Fawaid As'ad (Situbondo), Mas Ahmad Subadar (Pasuruan), Chotib Umar (Jember), Hisaym Syafaat (Banyuwangi), Mutawakkil Alallah (Probolinggo).

        Abdullah Faqih of Langitan (Tuban) is also included along with others such as Zainudin Djazuli (Kediri), Anwar Mansyur (Kediri), Nurul Huda Djazuli (Kediri), Sholeh Qosim (Kediri), Agus Ali Masyhuri (Sidoarjo), Masduqi Mahfudz (Malang and Hadi Mahfudz (Tulung Agung).

        On the reason of the Muslim clerics' support for the JK-WIN presidential ticket, Gus War said they had made their choice based on ideological and religious considerations. Jusuf Kalla, he said, was the son of the founder of the NU's Makassar branch and his mother was an activist of Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization, in South Sulawesi.

        "Our clerics' reason is very simple. If there is a candidate who is clearly linked to NU , then they don't need to make a speculative choice," he said.

        "So, we make our choice not based on a loss-or-win consideration but based on reasoning that can be accounted for to God," he added.

        The same reason was also cited by Tuty Alawiyah, who is also a former minister for women's role empowerment and rector of As Syafiiyah Islamic University. She said members of her organization would vote for JK-WIN pair not because of practical politics but because of religious considerations. They wanted to choose a president and a vice president who could voice the aspirations of Muslims and had a good understanding of Islam.

        "In the legislative elections held on April 9, 2009, we did not voice our support to someone and let our members vote for someone of their own choice," she said.

        She said although she was not sure how many members of her organization would obey the organization's advice to vote for Kalla and Wiranto, based on experience, housewives active in the Islamic study and prayers groups were always relatively united in responding to BKMT decisions.

        "Our support is contained in an agreement reached by the association of assemblies of Islamic studies (Permata). It is expected that the agreement will not be on paper only but also observed on D-day," she said. The BKMT is continuing to popularize the results of the BKMT meeting in an effort to gain support for the JK-WIN presidential pair.

        Besides support from Muslim voters, it was also reported from Banten over the weekend that the JK-WIN duo also gained support from regional branches of 10 small parties which are in coalition with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)'s Democratic Party (PD).

        Coordinator of the ten parties, Ma'ruf Muhtadi said they withdrew their support to SBY because they did not get the trust from the SBY camp. "We are belittled while we also have mass supporters," Ma'ruf said. Secretary of the Democratic Party for Banten branch Aeng Khaeruddin said he was not convinced the ten parties would really withdraw their support. "At the central executive board level, the ten parties remain solid in supporting us," Khaeruddin said.

        But the Indonesian Community Front-1 (FKT-1), a mass organization which was established in 2004 to support SBY's presidential bid, said small parties in coalition with the DP were basically only 'empty coaches'.

        "Based on observations and field checks, we believe that many political parties which support the SBY-Boediono coalition are only 'empty coaches', or parties without supporters," FKT-1 chairman M Julian Manurung said on Sunday.***1***

        (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:40/A/O001) (T.A014/A/A014/A/O001) 22-06-2009 21:46:16