Gus Dur calls for people's understanding<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid renewed his call on
\nMonday for the public to be patient and understanding of the
\nslow pace of the reform movement.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the opening of a symposium held by the Association
\nof the University of Indonesia Alumni (Iluni-UI), Abdurrahman
\nsaid a total reform of a system which ruled the country for more
\nthan 32 years could not take place overnight.<\/p>\n
But despite the difficulties, the President underlined his
\ncommitment to keeping the reform movement on track.<\/p>\n
\"I will guarantee we will not ignore the democratization
\nprocess, law enforcement, freedom of speech for all citizens and
\nthe honest accountability of the government to the public,\"
\nAbdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
He vowed he would not hesitate to clarify any corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism which could be linked to him or his
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
\"Personally, it doesn't bother me if I have to face
\nquestioning for any alleged corruption or collusion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His eight-month-old government has met with criticism for its
\nfailure to quickly improve the country's economy and legal
\ncertainty. At the same time there have been signs of the return
\nof corruption, collusion and nepotism practices that involve
\nAbdurrahman's inner circle, including the Bulog scandal and the
\nappointment of Abdurrahman's bother Hasyim Wahid as an official
\nat the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said the public could not rely on the ideal
\nimplementation of reform and forget the actual difficulty in
\nupholding the law, especially when it came to solving many high-
\nprofile corruption or human rights abuse cases.<\/p>\n
\"To prove all the allegations in the light of law is not easy
\nand people tend to blame the attorney general for it, while the
\nattorney general almost cries whenever he discusses those cases
\nwith me,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
He further attributed the difficulty in carrying out legal
\nreform to the House of Representatives, which need to change many
\nregulations which are the legacy of the past regime.<\/p>\n
\"The reform movement should be conducted in a legal framework.
\nI plead to the public to have a little patience and give us a
\nfair chance, the government and the House, so we can carry out
\nlegal reform properly,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The President also said the country's political leaders had
\nyet to show their commitment to putting national interests above
\nall else.<\/p>\n
\"We can see that most of our leaders are busy with their
\nprivate or group's agenda, and only a few of them really think
\nabout national interest,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
He also blasted many parties for appraising his administration
\nand setting a time limit for him to correct the system and
\nconduct total reform.<\/p>\n
\"I hate any time limit and I do not want to listen to the
\nunfair performance appraisals, which are based on rumors, because
\nevery decision I make is for the sake of national interest,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman also said the reform movement was the nation's
\nresponsibility and the government only played a role as the
\ninitiator while the rest was up to the people.<\/p>\n
\"I call on everybody to educate themselves and the community
\nto establish clean and good governance. It is up to the people
\nand never put the responsibility on the government,\" he said.
\n(dja)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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