'I'm here till the end', says Abdurrahman Wahid<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid once again
\ndefied his critics asserting that he is unruffled by calls for
\nhis resignation, and even made a reconciliatory gesture by
\ndefending Golkar Party against those who wish to see it
\ndissolved.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a gathering with the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) at
\nBogor Palace on Sunday, Abdurrahman underlined that under no
\nconditions would he leave his seat of office prior to the end of
\nhis presidential term in 2004.<\/p>\n
"I cannot leave the state. I'll be here till the end," he
\nremarked. "There's no need to worry."<\/p>\n
Calls for the President to resign have picked up particularly
\nafter a special committee of the House of Representatives
\nimplicated him in two financial scandals.<\/p>\n
The House then agreed to take action by sending a memorandum
\nto the President to further explain these findings.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman acknowledged the demands for his resignation,
\nincluding the increasing number of large demonstrations
\nparticularly in the capital in the past week but questioned the
\nintegrity of many of these demonstrators.<\/p>\n
"Every day there are demonstrations in front of Merdeka
\nPalace. But they were paid," he charged.<\/p>\n
He alleged that there are four main groups who want him
\nousted: those that are afraid of legal action will be taken
\nagainst their past crimes, those who have political ambitions,
\nthose who want to protect the status quo, and those who are being
\npaid to protest.<\/p>\n
Golkar<\/p>\n
The ever unpredictable Abdurrahman then surprised many of
\nthose in attendance by launching into a defense of the Golkar
\nParty against those who would want the party, so closely
\nassociated to the Soeharto's New Order regime, dissolved.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said it would be unfair to dismantle the party
\nsimply for its participation in the 32-year authoritarian rule of
\nthe New Order.<\/p>\n
"We should avoid dissolving the Golkar Party harshly ... it is
\nvery inhumane. We should avoid it," Abdurrahman said as quoted by
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
He insisted that while the party had made many mistakes and
\nhad weaknesses in the past, it is a whole new party since the
\nreform era.<\/p>\n
"I noted several mistakes of Golkar in the past, about how
\nthey managed to win (general elections) mostly due to the support
\nfrom bureaucrats and the Indonesian military," Abdurrahman
\nremarked.<\/p>\n
"But that was then, now they are different. They still have a
\nchance (to win) in the next election," he added.<\/p>\n
While Abdurrahman's statement may infuriate many people, it
\ncould possibly allay some pressure he is currently receiving
\nespecially since Golkar holds the second highest number seats in
\nthe House.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile later here on Sunday evening at a post-fasting
\ngathering with his own National Awakening Party (PKB),
\nAbdurrahman called on his supporters to remain calm and patient
\ndespite the intense pressure he is receiving.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman also claimed that he and the House have agreed to
\ncool the heated political situation.<\/p>\n
"We have to be patient, what's done is done. The result of the
\nspecial committee, the continuing rallies, I am sure everything
\nwill be okay. PKB should stay calm and be patient," he
\nremarked.<\/p>\n
"I had a meeting with the House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and
\ndeputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjoguritno. In the meeting we had an
\nagreement to try to allay the heated situation," he revealed.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless in what seemed to be a challenge against his
\nopponents, Abdurrahman still snapped that even patience has its
\nlimits and expressed his wish that all parties should stop
\npolitically provocative activities within a week.<\/p>\n
"So we should not do anything and see whether they dare to
\ncontinue their effort. I promise you the government will find the
\ninstigators of these actions and not hesitate to arrest them," he
\nmaintained.<\/p>\n
"However, I will not suggest any anarchic actions to deal with
\nthe problem."<\/p>\n
He assured the people that security officers will deal with
\nthe problem.<\/p>\n
"When I heard that in East Java people vandalized Golkar
\nParty's office, I was very sad, but it shows that people were
\noffended," he said. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/im-here-till-the-end-says-abdurrahman-wahid-1447893297",
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