Gus Dur-Megawati Appears Together In Public Faces In Today's Memory, February 17, 2002

President Gus Dur and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri. (Special)

JAKARTA - Today's memory, 21 years ago, February 17, 2002, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) and Megawati Soekarnoputri again appeared together in public after months of fighting. The two of them attended the Chinese New Year celebration in the Jakarta Grand Week (PRJ) area.

Previously, Gus Dur and Megawati were known to be close. Everything changed because Megawati was considered involved in the removal of Gus Dur from the seat of President of Indonesia. Good relations also turned into a feud.

The controversy over Gus Dur's leadership is popular. The Indonesian president is known to have the courage to promote a bold policy. He became the first Indonesian President to apologize for the massacre of sympathizers of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1966-1967.

Gus Dur also suggested that MPRS Decree No. XXV/1966 regarding the dissolution of the PKI and the prohibition on the spread of the teachings of marxism, communism and leninism will soon be revoked. The proposal for the revocation is so that the government is not considered to stand for just one community group.

The controversial trend continued until Gus Dur was accused of being involved in the Buloggate and Bruneigate scandals. At its peak, President Gus Dur wants to issue a Presidential Decree regarding the disbandment of the DPR/MPR.

Gus Dur's decision provoked debate. Instead of supporting, state officials actually advised Gus Dur to resign from the presidency. Because, Gus Dur is considered to have committed political turmoil.

The issue of Gus Dur's resignation spread everywhere. The MPR officially stepped down Gus Dur in July 2001. Even the Chairman of the MPR, Amien Rais, appointed Megawati, who was originally the new Vice President of Indonesia (2001-2004).

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, according to the constitution, has risen to become president. However, Nahdlatul Ulama asked for succession only through elections. Meanwhile, the position of RI-2 (vice president), said Amien, will be determined by the MPR which at the same time agreed that the national consensus will last until 2004. The consensus is important so that political inter-elite do not hit each other until 2004-2006.

Amien has even discussed raising Akbar Tandjung as vice president. If President Gus Dur resigns or is dismissed through the MPR Special Session. Amien Rais argues that the Megawati-Akbar duo is the ideal choice to replace him," said Virdika Rizky Utama in the book Menjerat Gus Dur (2020).

Megawati's rise as President of Indonesia became a marker of the fire of a feud between herself and Gus Dur. Megawati at that time was considered to be involved in an attempt to overthrow the National Teacher. The two of them never met as before.

The political tension finally calmed down a little on February 17, 2002. Gus Dur-Megawati was seen attending the Chinese New Year celebrations at the PRJ arena, Kemayoran. The encounter became the first time Gus Dur-Megawati met again in public after the feud. Even though he didn't communicate. Then, the second relationship got better in the following days.

Actually, at the Chinese New Year celebrations at the Jakarta Grand Week arena on Sunday 17 February 2002, Gus Dur and Megawati were also present to fulfill the committee's invitation. However, these two figures were reluctant to sit side by side. Gus Dur came 10 minutes before the event began. He was accompanied by the Chairman of the National Awakening Party, Alwi Shihab, sitting at the forefront of the left podium with thousands of Confucians.

A few minutes later, the Chairman of the MPR, Amien Rais, entered and occupied a VIP chair right next to President Megawati's seat. Not long after, President Megawati, accompanied by her husband Taufik Kiemas and his younger brother, Guruh Soekarnoputra. Gus Dur was provided with a seat beside President Megawati, but Gus Dur reportedly refused. This is the first time the public has seen two rival vang figures present in an official ceremony, but they have not communicated at all, "explained Tjipta Lesmana in the book From Soekarno to SBY (2013).