Gus Dur's choices<\/p>\n
Jakarta is thick with talk that President Abdurrahman Wahid,
\nisolated and feeling unloved for all his heroism in Indonesia's
\ncause, is a few moves away from arrogating all power to himself.
\nHe would declare a state of emergency, which would empower him to
\nkick out the troublesome Parliament, then call fresh elections at
\nan appropriate time. The third element in the strand poses a
\nproblem, upon which his premise for rule by decree must unravel.
\nWere elections to be held in short order, it should, by
\ndefinition, mean that emergency conditions did not exist. Ipso
\nfacto, he would be resorting to an extraordinary constitutional
\nmeasure to rid himself of legislators who are questioning his
\nfitness for office.<\/p>\n
Mr. Abdurrahman has also lost what little forbearance Vice-
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri had left for him. The military,
\nthrough army chief of staff Endriartono Sutarto, has made clear
\nhe would not have its support if he went for emergency rule. If
\nMr. Abdurrahman means to short-circuit all that pent-up hostility
\nby imposing martial law, it would be fatal for Indonesia. It
\nwould solve nothing but invite chaos in the cities and
\nspontaneous uprisings in the provinces, exactly what he was
\nelected to prevent.<\/p>\n
What would be left of the legacy of Nusantara? We do not
\nbelieve he can be that reckless, but the possibility remains that
\na man running out of sustainable support in his constituency and
\nthe institutions of state is capable of anything. If Mr.
\nAbdurrahman cares for his country, he would let less dramatic
\nprocesses take their course.<\/p>\n
He should acknowledge the role and duty of the legislature and
\ndefend himself against the charges of financial wrongdoing,
\ninstead of belittling its standing. He could escape impeachment
\nthat way. Anti-Gus Dur legislators are hopping mad at his
\nimperiousness and disdain for their House, but they are also
\npragmatic enough to know he would not go quietly if impeached.
\nFar better, then, that Mr. Abdurrahman serve out his term than to
\nchance the certainty of Indonesia tipping into violence -- and
\nmuch worse. For a benign end to his term to happen, he has to
\nperform one last heroic act -- show his Vice-President the
\nrespect her office entitles her to. He has said he has given her
\nall the power-sharing he is able to. This is disputed, and is
\nprecisely the formula his inner Cabinet has been trying to
\nfashion to avoid a collision between the executive and
\nlegislative branches.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times, Singapore<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-durs-choices-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }