A government without the support of the House 'is finished'
Calls are mounting for the resignation of President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid. The following are excerpts of an interview with Yogyakarta-based lecturer of politics Riswandha Imawan with The Jakarta Post.
Question: Thursday's plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR) decided to issue a memorandum to the President, which could lead to his impeachment. Your comment?
Answer: Yesterday's session showed that legislators used their conscience and listened to the people's heart. They were able to actually capture what the people wanted.
We should remember that this is not merely a case of a particular sum of money, it is rather one of public morality. How can we trust a person to eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) when in fact he is building, or at least paving the way for a new KKN network?
One indication that legislators listened to their conscience was the deviation from standard statements by both the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Indonesian Military and National Police (TNI/Police) factions.
Megawati Soekarnoputri of PDI Perjuangan always says, "It's up to Gus Dur" every time there's a difficult situation regarding the President.
TNI/Polri has always said that they would be loyal to the President. Yet yesterday both factions said they accepted the House special committee's report on both (the Brunei and Bulog financial) scandals.
Q: Is this a sign of the TNI wanting to come back to politics?
A: I don't think so. I feel the TNI has learned its lesson. It should be mature enough now not to do so. Another sign of this was when it's members had to relinquish the post of regent in various regencies, it did not resist.
This is the best time for TNI to mend its image. It has been perceived for too long as a defender of the authority.
Q: What would be the consequence of DPR's issuance of a memorandum against the President?
A: It is clear that most legislators no longer trust the President. Eight out of 10 factions in the House have said they accept the special committee's report. At the individual level, it becomes even clearer that all (the members) support the special committee's report.
The government was formed based on the composition of the legislators in the House. Now all parties (in the House) have concluded that the President had played a role in both scandals, and was guilty of violating his oath of office and abusing his power.
So today (Friday) all the parties, especially those in the Reform faction, clearly stated that they were withdrawing their support for the President ...
All the ministers in the Cabinet, except those from the National Awakening Party (PKB) should resign. This is the logical consequence of their parties' decision. If they are still in the Cabinet led by a president charged with KKN, it could mean they are committing the same. The parties would therefore have no moral authority to eradicate KKN.
For Gus Dur, the implication of the memorandum would be that he no longer had the legitimacy to rule the country. A memorandum could mean the end of Gus Dur's presidency.
Therefore a special session (of the highest legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly or MPR) is not really necessary. If Gus Dur had a good understanding of democracy, he would resign. He would call for an MPR session to announce his resignation.
This would be much more dignified than being forced to do so through an MPR special session.
The consequence for the PDI Perjuangan (for suggesting the issuance of a warning or memorandum to the President) is even more serious. Megawati should resign as vice president, because she has so far been perceived as a part of the inseparable duo (dwi tunggal) with Gus Dur.
In the eyes of the international community, Gus Dur's government no longer exists. The general perception is that a government without the support from the legislature is finished.
Mass public rallies followed by resignations of ministers and loss of support from the military, as were seen South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan as well as Eastern European and West African countries, are indications that the fall of the ruling government is only a matter of time.
The memorandum is only a way to prevent Gus Dur from being humiliated. It would be better if he resigned now.
He shouldn't try to buy time by following the procedure of the memorandum which stipulates that impeachment proceedings against him will only begin after four months.
It will only worsen his image.
Q: What is the possibility of Gus Dur dissolving the House as our first president Sukarno did?
A: Gus Dur cannot do so .. What Sukarno dissolved was the provisional House, not an elected one.
Q: Gus Dur has repeatedly said that Megawati supported him -- which apparently is not the case, given the stance of PDI Perjuangan's faction in the House regarding the scandals. How do you see this?
A: I think his statements are just one-sided, a fait accompli. His government has been using a "hit and run" tactic and fait accompli.
Q: Could Megawati's opinion differ from her party's faction?
A: I don't think so. What happened in PDI Perjuangan was a very democratic mechanism. Megawati as chairwoman has been able to call on her members to have one voice, to be united. But she has not been able to dictate what they have to say.
Q: Gus Dur keeps saying he can still win the people's support. What do you see as the basis of these statements?
A: I think he says so in a bid to gather support. President Gus Dur attained power without the majority's support. The majority wanted Megawati to be president. Even PKB wanted Megawati. Therefore what Gus Dur is doing now is reaching out for support and also demonstrating that he is legitimate. That's why he repeatedly says, "I was elected by the people."
If he is truly wants to see what the people want, he should pay close attention to them now. People want him to resign. Don't see the people from a narrow viewpoint.
Not all Indonesians are members of Nahdlatul Ulama (organization formerly chaired by Gus Dur), right? (Sri Wahyuni).