A government without the support of the House 'is finished'<\/p>\n
Calls are mounting for the resignation of President
\nAbdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid. The following are excerpts of an
\ninterview with Yogyakarta-based lecturer of politics Riswandha
\nImawan with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Question: Thursday's plenary session of the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) decided to issue a memorandum to the
\nPresident, which could lead to his impeachment. Your comment?<\/p>\n
Answer: Yesterday's session showed that legislators used their
\nconscience and listened to the people's heart. They were able to
\nactually capture what the people wanted.<\/p>\n
We should remember that this is not merely a case of a
\nparticular sum of money, it is rather one of public morality. How
\ncan we trust a person to eradicate corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism (KKN) when in fact he is building, or at least paving
\nthe way for a new KKN network?<\/p>\n
One indication that legislators listened to their conscience
\nwas the deviation from standard statements by both the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Indonesian
\nMilitary and National Police (TNI\/Police) factions.<\/p>\n
Megawati Soekarnoputri of PDI Perjuangan always says, \"It's up
\nto Gus Dur\" every time there's a difficult situation regarding
\nthe President.<\/p>\n
TNI\/Polri has always said that they would be loyal to the
\nPresident. Yet yesterday both factions said they accepted the
\nHouse special committee's report on both (the Brunei and Bulog
\nfinancial) scandals.<\/p>\n
Q: Is this a sign of the TNI wanting to come back to politics?<\/p>\n
A: I don't think so. I feel the TNI has learned its lesson. It
\nshould be mature enough now not to do so. Another sign of this
\nwas when it's members had to relinquish the post of regent in
\nvarious regencies, it did not resist.<\/p>\n
This is the best time for TNI to mend its image. It has been
\nperceived for too long as a defender of the authority.<\/p>\n
Q: What would be the consequence of DPR's issuance of a
\nmemorandum against the President?<\/p>\n
A: It is clear that most legislators no longer trust the
\nPresident. Eight out of 10 factions in the House have said they
\naccept the special committee's report. At the individual level,
\nit becomes even clearer that all (the members) support the
\nspecial committee's report.<\/p>\n
The government was formed based on the composition of the
\nlegislators in the House. Now all parties (in the House) have
\nconcluded that the President had played a role in both scandals,
\nand was guilty of violating his oath of office and abusing his
\npower.<\/p>\n
So today (Friday) all the parties, especially those in the
\nReform faction, clearly stated that they were withdrawing their
\nsupport for the President ...<\/p>\n
All the ministers in the Cabinet, except those from the
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB) should resign. This is the logical
\nconsequence of their parties' decision. If they are still in the
\nCabinet led by a president charged with KKN, it could mean they
\nare committing the same. The parties would therefore have no
\nmoral authority to eradicate KKN.<\/p>\n
For Gus Dur, the implication of the memorandum would be that
\nhe no longer had the legitimacy to rule the country. A memorandum
\ncould mean the end of Gus Dur's presidency.<\/p>\n
Therefore a special session (of the highest legislative body,
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly or MPR) is not really
\nnecessary. If Gus Dur had a good understanding of democracy, he
\nwould resign. He would call for an MPR session to announce his
\nresignation.<\/p>\n
This would be much more dignified than being forced to do so
\nthrough an MPR special session.<\/p>\n
The consequence for the PDI Perjuangan (for suggesting the
\nissuance of a warning or memorandum to the President) is even
\nmore serious. Megawati should resign as vice president, because
\nshe has so far been perceived as a part of the inseparable duo
\n(dwi tunggal) with Gus Dur.<\/p>\n
In the eyes of the international community, Gus Dur's
\ngovernment no longer exists. The general perception is that a
\ngovernment without the support from the legislature is finished.<\/p>\n
Mass public rallies followed by resignations of ministers and
\nloss of support from the military, as were seen South Korea, the
\nPhilippines, Taiwan as well as Eastern European and West African
\ncountries, are indications that the fall of the ruling government
\nis only a matter of time.<\/p>\n
The memorandum is only a way to prevent Gus Dur from being
\nhumiliated. It would be better if he resigned now.<\/p>\n
He shouldn't try to buy time by following the procedure of the
\nmemorandum which stipulates that impeachment proceedings against
\nhim will only begin after four months.<\/p>\n
It will only worsen his image.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the possibility of Gus Dur dissolving the House as our
\nfirst president Sukarno did?<\/p>\n
A: Gus Dur cannot do so .. What Sukarno dissolved was the
\nprovisional House, not an elected one.<\/p>\n
Q: Gus Dur has repeatedly said that Megawati supported him --
\nwhich apparently is not the case, given the stance of PDI
\nPerjuangan's faction in the House regarding the scandals. How do
\nyou see this?<\/p>\n
A: I think his statements are just one-sided, a fait accompli.
\nHis government has been using a \"hit and run\" tactic and fait
\naccompli.<\/p>\n
Q: Could Megawati's opinion differ from her party's faction?<\/p>\n
A: I don't think so. What happened in PDI Perjuangan was a very
\ndemocratic mechanism. Megawati as chairwoman has been able to
\ncall on her members to have one voice, to be united. But she has
\nnot been able to dictate what they have to say.<\/p>\n
Q: Gus Dur keeps saying he can still win the people's support.
\nWhat do you see as the basis of these statements?<\/p>\n
A: I think he says so in a bid to gather support. President Gus
\nDur attained power without the majority's support. The majority
\nwanted Megawati to be president. Even PKB wanted Megawati.
\nTherefore what Gus Dur is doing now is reaching out for support
\nand also demonstrating that he is legitimate. That's why he
\nrepeatedly says, \"I was elected by the people.\"<\/p>\n
If he is truly wants to see what the people want, he should
\npay close attention to them now. People want him to resign. Don't
\nsee the people from a narrow viewpoint.<\/p>\n
Not all Indonesians are members of Nahdlatul Ulama
\n(organization formerly chaired by Gus Dur), right? (Sri Wahyuni).<\/p>",
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