Legislators fail to submit proposal against Gus Dur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators failed to submit on Thursday a
\nproposal for the House of Representatives (DPR) to issue a \"right
\nof expression\" on President Abdurrahman Wahid's performance.<\/p>\n
\"We'll submit the proposal on Nov. 30. Now, we're waiting for
\nmore signatories,\" legislator Alvin Lie from the National Mandate
\nParty (PAN) told reporters after meeting Deputy House Speaker
\nSoetardjo Soerjoguritno.<\/p>\n
Alvin, accompanied by Julius Usman of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Ade Komaruddin
\nof the Golkar Party, met with Soetardjo to discuss the proposal.<\/p>\n
He said the proposal, which will describe several alleged
\nConstitutional violations by Gus Dur, the president's nickname,
\nhas been signed by more than 100 legislators.<\/p>\n
Ade Komaruddin said the proposal, if endorsed by the House
\nplenary session, could lead to a petition questioning the
\nPresident's performance.<\/p>\n
\"If the President cannot respond satisfactorily to questions
\nin the memorandum, the House could call a special session of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to hold the President
\naccountable,\" Ade said.<\/p>\n
He claimed that legislators from Abdurrahman's own National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) and the Indonesian Military (TNI)\/Police
\nfactions refused to endorse the proposal.<\/p>\n
A source said that Soetardjo, who is also a senior legislator
\nof PDI Perjuangan, likely disagreed with the proposal initiated
\nby the young legislators.<\/p>\n
\"On Aug. 30, the House will decide whether they will accept
\nthe memorandum or not. However, I, myself, will not sign it,\"
\nSutardjo said before his party's national meeting later in the
\nday.<\/p>\n
Former Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry
\nKwik Kian Gie also said he would not sign the proposal.<\/p>\n
\"I have nothing to do with it, and I don't want to know about
\nit, either\", Kwik, who earlier sponsored an informal legislators
\nmeeting on Nov. 11, said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, secretary to PKB faction Abdul Kholiq Achmad
\nconsidered that the demonstrations at the DPR\/MPR building
\ncompound on Thursday were closely linked with the memorandum
\ncalling for an MPR special session to impeach the president.<\/p>\n
He said legislators who signed the memorandum were those who
\nhad demanded the President's resignation in the Kwik-initiated
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
\"The memorandum will not win the support of the 500-member
\nHouse because there is no evidence to prove that the President
\nhas violated the Constitution, the State Guidelines or the law,\"
\nKholiq said.<\/p>\n
In a separate conflict between political elites, Fuad Amin
\nImran, another PKB legislator, challenged former finance minister
\nFuad Bawazir to go to court over an accusation that the latter
\nhad financed a series of anti-President Abdurrahman
\ndemonstrations.<\/p>\n
\"I have authentic evidence that Fuad Bawazir has sponsored the
\ndemonstrations at the House, asking the President to step down,\"
\nhe said on a talk show aired by private television station SCTV
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
Fuad Amin was responding to Fuad Bawazir's threat to sue him
\nover the accusation.<\/p>\n
Fuad Amin said he had 40 witnesses and copies of bank transfer
\nreceipts to prove that Fuad Bawazir had paid a number of non-
\ngovernmental organizations to organize the mass demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Separately, Taufikurrahman Saleh, chairman of the PKB faction
\nat the House, and Kholiq confirmed that their faction had
\ncollected evidence alleging involvement by certain political
\nfigures, including Fuad Bawazir, in maneuvers to topple the
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
\"We have prepared authentic evidence to present in court that
\nFuad Bawazir participated in financing the demonstrations,\"
\nTaufikurrahman told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He regretted the demonstrations and the political engineering
\nconducted by certain political figures to topple the president,
\nsaying they should be held responsible if the demonstrations turn
\nviolent.<\/p>\n
Outside the House building, thousands of anti-government
\ndemonstrators almost clashed with pro-government demonstrators on
\nThursday when the two camps readied sticks and stones while
\nexchanging harsh words.<\/p>\n
Pro-government demonstrators withdrew when around 500 anti-
\nriot Police from the Police Mobile Brigade moved to disperse the
\ntwo groups.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Abdurrahman's uncle and chairman of the Central
\nJava chapter of the Indonesian Muslim Council of Ulemas (MUI),
\nSahal Mahfud, said the situation would not improve if the
\nPresident was asked to resign.<\/p>\n
\"We should consider that the situation might get worse,\" said
\nSahal, who is also chairman of the legislative body of the
\ncountry's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
\n(02\/har\/rms\/jun)<\/p>",
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