'Don't oust President while away'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
\nwarned people on Thursday not to seize the opportunity of
\noverthrowing President Abdurrahman Wahid while the state leader
\nis away on his overseas trip.<\/p>\n
\"Do not take the opportunity while the President is abroad to
\nbring him down unconstitutionally.<\/p>\n
\"It's up to the people to decide whether Gus Dur
\n(Abdurrahman's nickname) should resign or stay. But, the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI) will always uphold the Constitution in
\nobserving all attempts to unseat or express support for the
\nPresident,\" Endriartono told reporters after hosting a closed-
\ndoor meeting with 95 senior Army officers at the Army
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
\"Let's start to think about the long-term interest, instead of
\nthe short-term one,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The four-star general said that in principle TNI did not know
\nhow important this trip was for Gur Dur.<\/p>\n
\"But, as a president, Gus Dur must have received some inputs
\non his trip from his assistants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the media conference, Endriartono was accompanied by
\ndeputy Army chief Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakrie, chief of the Army
\nEducation and Training Center (Kodiklat) Lt. Gen. Amir Sembiring,
\nthe Army's Inspector-General Maj. Gen. Djoko Subroto, and his
\nassistants.<\/p>\n
The President has been receiving strong criticism for
\ncontinuing his two-week trip to the Middle East and African
\ncountries, including a haj pilgrimage to Mecca. He is scheduled
\nto return home on March 7.<\/p>\n
Calls have mounted that the president cut short his trip due
\nto bloody communal clashes in the Central Kalimantan towns of
\nSampit and Palangkaraya, which have claimed at least 469 lives.<\/p>\n
At home, House of Representatives (DPR) legislators said Vice
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri's statement on Wednesday that
\nshe never supported Abdurrahman for the presidency was a response
\nto the president's statement that the House will not issue a
\nsecond memorandum against him.<\/p>\n
Deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) Pramono Anung said Megawati wanted to
\nmake it clear that no one can guarantee Abdurrahman that a second
\nmemorandum will not be issued.<\/p>\n
\"No one can guarantee that the House will not continue the
\nmemorandum process unless there is no significant progress in the
\ngovernment's performance,\" Pramono said.<\/p>\n
Another PDI Perjuangan legislator Jacob Tobing said Megawati's
\nstatement came after the president has still to make significant
\nchanges, one month after the issuance of the memorandum.<\/p>\n
\"The road for a second memorandum is wide open because the
\npresident has yet to make improvements after the issuance of the
\nmemorandum on Feb. 1,\" Jacob told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Similarly, chairman of the Reform Faction Hatta Radjasa said
\nthe possibility of a second memorandum is wide open as no one,
\neven Megawati, could guarantee that it will not be issued.<\/p>\n
Separately, political observer Affan Gafar said Megawati's
\nstatement was a sign that Abdurrahman is losing ground as
\nMegawati no longer stands at his side and has put herself out of
\nhis shadow.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur is alone now...He should resign and it is very
\nappropriate for Megawati to become the president. Gus Dur has
\nlost his legitimacy,\" Affan told journalists.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur should apologize and perhaps the House will not issue
\na second memorandum. But if the response is negative, then the
\nsecond memorandum is right in front of him,\" Affan said.<\/p>\n
At home, some 500 protesters from the Students' Executive Body
\n(BEM) of universities in Java and Sumatra staged a protest near
\nthe presidential palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday, demanding
\nthat Gus Dur resign.<\/p>\n
They disobeyed the calls by city police chief Insp. Gen.
\nMoeljono Sulaiman that they carry out their protest peacefully.<\/p>\n
Staging their action from 5:30 a.m., the students, who called
\ntheir protest \"the dawn attack\", tried to break through the
\ncordon of anti-riot police and presidential guards securing the
\npresidential palace, but failed.<\/p>\n
At the Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) building, located a few
\nmeters away from the presidential palace, the students listed
\ntheir demands, which included bringing Gus Dur down and pushing
\nfor economic recovery; to make the New Order Regime, Corruption,
\nCollusion and Nepotism (KKN), the Golkar Party and its cronies a
\ncommon enemy of the people; and to reject proposed increases in
\nfuel prices.<\/p>\n
In Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, similar protests
\nwere staged by hundreds of activists of the local Students'
\nExecutive Body.<\/p>\n
They held a \"special funeral ceremony\" for President
\nAbdurrahman at the Panaikang Hero Cemetery, symbolizing the death
\nof Abdurrahman's administration. (02\/27\/dja\/ylt)<\/p>",
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