Cabinet meeting held amid crisis over scandals<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In a show of unity two days after being censured
\nby the House of Representatives (DPR) for his alleged involvement
\nin two financial scandals, President Abdurrahman Wahid called an
\nemergency Cabinet meeting on Saturday.<\/p>\n
In a departure from usual practice, Army, Navy and Air Force
\nchiefs of staff also attended the meeting, which was chaired by
\nVice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
\"Today's Cabinet meeting is only to listen to the opinions of
\nthe ministers, as well as the Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs, on
\nsteps that should be taken to implement reform and uphold the
\nlaw,\" Abdurrahman said after the closed meeting.<\/p>\n
Speaking later in the day, presidential spokesman Wimar
\nWitoelar played down suggestions that Abdurrahman was losing
\nCabinet support, saying the Cabinet was \"fully functioning\".<\/p>\n
\"Everybody is very happy to be on the team and if you compare
\nthis to past Cabinets, this is the only one in which decisions
\nare discussed with great candor and openness,\" Wimar said.<\/p>\n
He also said that Abdurrahman still had support from his
\ndeputy Megawati Soekarnoputri and that \"(during the meeting) they
\nmade plans together to respond to the memorandum\" from the DPR.<\/p>\n
Wimar admitted, however, the meeting had \"underlined\" that
\nCabinet members should remain solid.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting stressed that Cabinet members should remain solid
\nin creating the perception that they are not just a group of
\nindividuals but really part of a team who will be assisting the
\nPresident in implementing reform,\" Wimar said.<\/p>\n
Wimar added that \"a legal and political team\" would be drawn
\nup to respond to the DPR's censure.<\/p>\n
He also reiterated that Abdurrahman remained confident that it
\nwas the DPR, not the people, who were against him.<\/p>\n
\"He doesn't feel pressured by the public ... he feels intense
\nsupport (from the public) and he gets phone calls in the middle
\nof the night expressing support,\" Wimar said.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Research and Technology Muh. AS Hikam backed
\nup Wimar's statement, saying that \"all Cabinet ministers still
\nsupported Gus Dur (as the President is popularly known).\"<\/p>\n
But Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra
\ngave a contradictory account.<\/p>\n
Yusril said the meeting was \"full of debate\" and that he
\nhimself had advised Abdurrahman to resign.<\/p>\n
\"Yes I conveyed that (resignation) message to him. I told him
\nthat if I were in his position I would prefer to resign.\"<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security
\nAffairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday the Cabinet would
\nrun as usual despite the heated dispute between the President and
\nthe House and let the President handle his problem in his own
\nway.<\/p>\n
A House special committee's report concluded that Abdurrahman
\nallegedly played a role in the withdrawal and disbursement of Rp
\n35 billion from Bulog's Yanatera foundation and that the
\nPresident had been inconsistent in explaining a US$2 million
\ndonation he received from the sultan of Brunei.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the resignation of State Minister of
\nAdministrative Reforms Ryaas Rasyid, Abdurrahman said that he
\naccepted Ryaas' decision and that he had signed a presidential
\ndecree on Friday afternoon honorably dismissing Ryaas as a
\nCabinet member.<\/p>\n
\"At the end of the Cabinet meeting, I announced that Ryaas
\nRasyid had resigned and, therefore, I would like to thank him for
\nall his contributions,\" Abdurrahman said. (byg)<\/p>",
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