Probably Hasyim was merely trying to pass over the reaction of the nahdliyyin of his hometown, East Java. During a meeting of the management board of East Java NU on Thursday last week, there was an agreement to prepare sending Banser and Pagar Nusa paramilitary to Jakarta in response to anti-Gus Dur demonstration in the coming January 15. There's an issue of a mass movement to put pressure on Gus Dur. We were forced to counteract. It is the same with other regions.
People have the same feeling everywhere.
That would depend on the level of coordination. No, definitely not. That's grassroots movement. NU management would only provided information. Such counteract would have been unnecessary if they were not provoked.