Jakarta, NU Online
Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid (right) laughs with former Golkar Party chairman and House of Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung during the inauguration of the People's Awakening Movement (Gatara) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The new group, founded by Gus Dur and his loyalists, aims to promote democracy and law enforcement in Indonesia.

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The group was officially inaugurated at the Wahid Institute headquarters on Jl. Taman Amir Hamzah, Central Jakarta. In attendance were loyalists, senior activists and politicians including Akbar, Sutiyoso, Rizal Ramli and Hariman Siregar.

In an alleged conspiracy with power holders working to sideline him from next year's elections, Gus Dur was ousted earlier this year (by his former loyalists) from the National Awakening Party (PKB) which he had founded in 1999.

"Socio-political, economic and cultural developments are still impaired with practices defiant to values of honesty, openness and democracy," Gus Dur said in a written speech read out by Wahid Institute director Yenny Wahid, his daughter.

A handful of elite politicians had continued to control the national decision-making process without taking into account the people's sovereignty, he said. (jp/dar)