'Opposition is unconstitutional'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid called on the nation
\non Monday to stick to the Constitution amid growing demands for
\nhis resignation.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic
\nCountries (OIC) summit in Doha, the President said he was not
\nturning a deaf ear to the demands, but reminded that they should
\nbe raised in accordance with the existing laws.<\/p>\n
\"The law stipulates that the only party allowed to investigate
\na president is the People's Consultative Assembly through a
\nspecial session recommended by the House of Representatives in a
\nplenary session,\" said President Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
The President made the statement in response to repeated calls
\nfor his resignation at home. About 1,000 protesters rallied at
\nthe House compound on Monday demanding that Abdurrahman resign
\nfor failing to fix the country's ailing economy and to end bloody
\nseparatist and sectarian conflicts.<\/p>\n
A group of legislators who met in an informal meeting
\nsponsored by former coordinating minister for economy, finance
\nand industry Kwik Kian Gie on Saturday were the latest prominent
\npoliticians to call for the President's exit.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said he would not go further in responding to
\ndomestic pressure for fear that it would only worsen the
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the President said his possible
\nresignation depended much on the evaluation by the House of his
\nleadership and of the government's performance.<\/p>\n
A palace spokesman, Yahya Cholil Staquf, who accompanied the
\nPresident during his visit in Doha, said Gus Dur, as the
\nPresident is called, wanted the demand to be processed properly
\nin accordance with the Constitution to avoid unnecessary unrest
\nin the society.<\/p>\n
He said the President would welcome whatever was the result of
\nthe House's evaluation on the government's performance.<\/p>\n
\"The President wants the House and all sides to use measurable
\ncriteria to judge how the government fares,\" Antara quoted Yahya
\nas saying.<\/p>\n
According to the President, many of the criticisms surfaced
\nwithout concrete indicators, turning a blind eye to the
\ngovernment's successes, especially in export as recognized by the
\nIMF.<\/p>\n
\"Many people do not know about the achievement because it is
\nnever shared with the public,\" said Yahya.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a 50-minute meeting
\nwith Gus Dur outside the OIC meeting on Sunday that he could
\nunderstand the numerous problems his government was facing at
\nhome.<\/p>\n
Yahya said the two figures were involved in a serious
\ndiscussion on numerous problems, including violent conflicts in
\nAceh, Irian Jaya and Maluku and East Timorese refugees.<\/p>\n
Yahya said Annan also appreciated the progress achieved by Gus
\nDur's government in the economic field.<\/p>\n
\"You're doing very well,\" Yahya quoted Annan as saying.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung asserted that the
\nconclusion that was reached in the legislators's meeting did not
\nrepresent the House of Representatives because all participants
\nspoke in their personal capacity.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting's results, including the call for Gus Dur's
\nresignation, do not represent the House. They are the thoughts of
\ncitizens,\" said Akbar, also chairman of the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
He said however the call could be channeled to the House
\nthrough their respective factions in the legislative body.<\/p>\n
He said the House would decide its stance whether to accept or
\nreject the result of Saturday's meeting after receiving and
\ndiscussing it in a plenary session.<\/p>\n
Abdul Kholiq Achmad, secretary of the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) faction at the House, dismissed the call for the
\npresident's resignation, saying the meeting was used by
\n\"political opportunists\" to topple the legitimate government.<\/p>\n
\"It's not new. It just confirms our earlier assumption that it
\nis just a solid attempt by certain politicians to topple the
\ngovernment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He conceded the meeting was sincerely arranged by Kwik for
\ngood purposes, but then it was engineered by certain politicians,
\nsuch as House Deputy Speaker A.M. Fatwa, legislator Alvin Lie --
\nboth from the National Mandate Party (PAN) -- and Golkar
\nlegislator Ade Komaruddin, to air demands that have been
\nfrequently made by other politicians.<\/p>\n
He said PKB regretted that the meeting had failed to provide
\nalternative solutions to all the problems facing the nation,
\nsaying the President's resignation would not settle the issues.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting should have given a new hope for people, but it
\ndid not,\" he remarked.<\/p>\n
Abdul Kholiq hoped that Kwik and other legislators from the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) should
\nbear in mind how \"the axis force\", an alliance of several
\nminority Muslim parties, rejected the nomination of their leader
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri in last year's presidential election.
\n(rms\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/opposition-is-unconstitutional-1447893297",
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