President Gus Dur Asks SBY To Gather Support To Disband DPR And MPR In History Today, May 8, 2001

President Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur who served from 1999 to 2001. (Between)

JAKARTA History today, 22 years ago, May 8, 2001, President Gus Dur asked the Coordinating Minister for Social and Security Political Affairs (Menko Polsoskam), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) to carry out special tasks. SBY was asked to collect the signatures of supporters of the decree for disbanding the DPR and MPR.

Previously, Gus Dur was known as the leader of Indonesia who often perpetuated controversy. He was ready to agree with anyone. Mainly, the DPR and the MPR. He then wanted to disperse the two at once.

There are only two Indonesian people's support for Gus Dur's government. All because of Gus Dur's guts to defend the Indonesian people so bravely. He dared to declare himself a leader who stood above all groups. The minority, let alone. However, the support later faded.

The charismatic kiai is considered to often accelerate controversial policies. Instead of appearing with revolutionary ideas, Gus Dur often came up with ideas that sparked the anger of the Indonesian people.

He even appeared in public to apologize to the victim and his family for the massacre of PKI sympathizers that occurred in 1965-1966. As a form of seriousness, Gus Dur suggested that the MPRS No XXV/1966 be removed from the PKI and the prohibition of the spread of the teachings of Marxism, Communism and Leninism immediately.

The political move weighed on Gus Dur. Gus Dur's footsteps as a leader were then tarnished by the presence of his name in the Buloggate and Bruneigate scandals. The DPR and the MPR criticized Gus Dur's steps. However, Gus Dur refused to accept it.

He then had the idea to turn off the steps of the DPR and the MPR. He then said that the people's representatives' lives were like the behavior of kindergarten children. He wanted to dissolve both the DPR and MPR - through a decree.

The nine months of government, President Gus Dur actually appeared as a person full of controversy, both in terms of speech and in terms of actions, it was felt that more confusion in society.

From various words made, for example, on a reactive occasion the president accused three of his ministers of being involved in corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN). Another opportunity, he wants to pardon former President Suharto, open up Israeli trade relations, remove five members of his cabinet, wanting to remove MPRS' provisions regarding the violations of the teachings of Marxism, Leninism, and Communism, and several other controversial remarks, written in Gus Dur's Political Journey book (2010).

Gus Dur did not want himself to be involved in the plan to dissolve the DPR and MPR. He felt the need for support from all his staff in the government to issue a decree. Gus Dur also believes that a name that can support his steps to issue a decree. That person is SBY.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs was asked by Gus Dur to perpetuate a special task. SBY was asked to seek the signature of the supporters of the decree on May 8, 2001. The supporters of the decree in question are government officials. From ministers and officials at their level.

However, the effort did not go smoothly. SBY cendrung considers Gus Dur's political steps to be flawed. He believes that the presence of the decree is not a wise move. Instead of being able to secure Gus Dur's position as Indonesia's number one person, the decree on the dissolution of the DPR and the MPR was even the beginning of his fall.

From then on I knew that Gus Dur Tendung was getting more emotional. However, I, Pak Alwi Shihab, Pak Mahfud, and a number of ministers tried to suggest that no action was considered unconstitutional. However, it seems like it has become a historical destiny, after almost five months of my own being able to advise him not to rashly take political actions.

Gus Dur finally issued the decree. When the decree on the disbandment of the DPR and the MPR was issued, I had only left the cabinet for a few weeks because he released me from the position of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and then appointed Mr. Agum Gumelar as my replacement, "explained SBY in the book Always There is a Choice (2014).