A welcome show of unity

A welcome show of unity

Whatever has prevented the nation's leaders from meeting to
defuse the political tension currently gripping Indonesia, as
intellectuals and analysts have urged, it did not stop
legislators in the People's Consultative Assembly from issuing
their own statement aimed at easing the tension.

Leaders of all 11 factions in the Assembly took the
unprecedented step on Sunday of issuing a four-point joint
statement to stem the rising political tension ahead of next
month's General Session of the Assembly. During the session,
President Abdurrahman Wahid is scheduled to report on the
progress he has made in leading the nation since being elected in
October last year.

There has been much speculation in Jakarta over the past few
weeks about the possibility of certain factions turning the
General Session of the Assembly into a special session designed
to remove the President from office.

This speculation, coming amid endless bickering among
political parties, has sharpened the tension between the
government and the legislature, and between the country's top
four political leaders: President Abdurrahman Wahid, Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, House of Representatives
Speaker Akbar Tandjung and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais.

Reflecting the apprehension the apparently broadening
differences between the political elite has caused among the
public, the rupiah plunged to a 21-month low of Rp 9,520 to the
U.S. dollar on Monday, accompanied by a general weakening of
share prices on the stock exchange.

"We therefore believe there should be a deliberate effort to
reduce the tension among the political elite and the public. The
fact that there have been differences of opinion should not
affect our commitment to maintaining the country's unity," the
chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) faction in the Assembly, who read the statement,
said.

So far, the statement seems to have calmed the public's
worries about the immediate future of the country. While the
country's top leaders may be oblivious to it, at least the
people's representatives in the legislature are aware the endless
squabbling among the political elite is hurting the nation.

The problem is that no mention was made of one of the most
burning issues in the public's mind: will the President be
allowed to keep his job, or will there be attempts by certain
quarters in the Assembly to unseat him?

It cannot be denied that some -- or many, as some observers
say -- of the President's problems are of his own making. The
inconsistency of his statements and his unpredictable actions
certainly provide ammunition for his political adversaries inside
and outside the Assembly.

Nevertheless, trying to unseat the President in the middle of
his term would make for a dangerous precedent that could plunge
this nation into never-ending social, political and economic
instability. With the precedent set, certain political factions
in the Assembly would be certain to try and unseat the next
President during the next general session.

The consequences would be far worse than experienced during
the country's venture into the "liberal democracy" of the 1950s,
when governments often lasted mere months. The only difference
would be that this time it would not just be the Cabinet that was
replaced, it would also be the President. The instability this
would cause cannot be imagined.

Because of this, one can only hope the joint statement issued
by the 11 factions in the Assembly on Sunday will not remain a
mere piece of paper, but will be implemented in the spirit in
which it ostensibly was drafted.

According to the latest information, the nation's four top
leaders -- the President, the Vice President, House Speaker Akbar
Tandjung and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais -- are scheduled to meet
later this month, when they are expected to attend a congress of
the National Awakening Party (PKB).

There is little doubt that many Indonesians hope the meeting
materializes. It is not too late to try to mend the damage months
of squabbling has inflicted on the nation.