Parties ignore Gus Dur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid faced
\nanother political setback and public humiliation as political
\nleaders snubbed his invitation to attend a political powwow at
\nBogor Palace to seek a way out of the current political impasse.<\/p>\n
At noon on Monday, Abdurrahman was left sitting down to lunch
\nvirtually alone in an empty palace, accompanied only by his
\nclosest ally, National Awakening Party chairman Matori Abdul
\nDjalil.<\/p>\n
The fact that the meeting turned into a fiasco should have
\ncome as no surprise as there were few, if any, positive response
\nto it from the start.<\/p>\n
Vice President and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, National Mandate
\nParty chairman Amien Rais and Crescent Star Party chairman Yusril
\nIhza Mahendra had all indicated that they would not attend.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung and United Development
\nParty (PPP) chairman Hamzah Haz, while welcoming the idea, had
\nfrom the start indicated that their presence would hinge on
\nMegawati's attendance.<\/p>\n
There was no hiding Abdurrahman's dejection, which quickly
\nmanifested itself in another tirade of threats.<\/p>\n
\"This meeting has failed,\" a despondent Abdurrahman remarked
\nwhile conceding Megawati's refusal to come had been a crucial
\nfactor.<\/p>\n
A protocol official disclosed that Akbar telephoned
\nAbdurrahman less than an hour before the working luncheon was
\nabout to start.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Akbar basically informed the President that it was
\nuseless for him to come as the other leaders were also going to
\nbe absent,\" said the official, who asked not to be identified.<\/p>\n
The President later told journalists that he would seek to
\npersonally meet with Megawati, who in recent weeks has made a
\nhabit of ducking meetings with him, including Cabinet meetings
\nand the weekly working breakfasts which they used to have.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman suddenly called the meeting at Bogor Palace last
\nweek in what observers believed was a last ditch attempt to
\nhammer out a political compromise before the start of the special
\nsession of the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
The meeting was postponed from Saturday in the hope that
\nMegawati would attend. Megawati was on a working visit to
\nKalimantan and then went for a medical checkup to Singapore over
\nthe weekend.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman has said that he would accept a special session of
\nthe Assembly as long as it did not seek to call him to account,
\nsomething which could then lead to his removal from office.<\/p>\n
Undeterred, Abdurrahman on Monday afternoon put on a brave
\nface before journalists and unleashed yet another barrage of
\nthreats directed against his political foes.<\/p>\n
He warned of a state of emergency and the dissolution of both
\nthe Assembly and the House of Representatives if a compromise was
\nnot reached by July 20.<\/p>\n
He said he would then call an early general election.<\/p>\n
\"Two options are open to us: First, to continue the efforts at
\nreconciliation, which we can still do until July 20.\"<\/p>\n
\"If this doesn't happen, the government will proclaim that the
\ncountry is in a state of crisis, the House and the Assembly will
\nbe frozen and a general election will be called,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, the abortive meeting became something of a
\nlark as hordes of journalists there to cover the event were
\nprovided with ample lunches.<\/p>\n
\"Don't worry, you can eat as much as you want. We have a lot
\nof food because the leaders didn't come,\" an official told the
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
Separately, Matori said there was no sign of disappointment on
\nthe part of the President during their lunch together.<\/p>\n
\"We just had a light conversation. He was relaxed and not
\nangry. We just joked and ate,\" Matori said.<\/p>\n
Matori himself played down the threat of a state of emergency,
\nsaying people should be used to hearing it by now.<\/p>\n
\"Bluffing is usual in politics, we should not be surprised.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, PDI Perjuangan Secretary-General Soetjipto said
\nMegawati could not attend the meeting because no clear agenda had
\nbeen outlined.<\/p>\n
\"Ibu Megawati could not come because the invitation came at
\nthe last minute and it was not clear what was to be discussed,\"
\nSoetjipto said.(dja\/prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parties-ignore-gus-dur-1447893297",
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