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Gus Dur disagrees with VP`s statement on development success

NU Online  ·  Selasa, 26 Juni 2007 | 13:29 WIB

Jakarta, NU Online
Abdurrahman Wahid or more popularly known as Gus Dur, chairman of the Nation`s Awakening Party (PKB)`s advisory council, said he disagreed with Vice President Jusuf Kalla`s statement that the country`s development effort would be successful if there was "political tranquility."

In a written statement issued here on Tuesday, Gus Dur said the vice president`s statement, made in an interview with a private television station, was against his (Gus Dur`s) thesis.<>

Kalla`s statement "means that it is all the demands for democratization that has caused Indonesia to lag behind in the development sector. This is against my thesis which says that the reason we are lagging behind in development is the fact that corruption is not being tackled seriously or thoroughly," the former president said.

According to Gus Dur, so long as corruption was not handled earnestly, people would continue to violate the laws and this would also perpetuate the high-cost economy and defeat the country`s national development effort.

"Therefore, if corruption is not rooted out, it will continue to undermine development," he was quoted by Antara as saying. (dar)