Abdurrahman's trial balloon?

Abdurrahman's trial balloon?

In a recent interview with Sydney Morning Herald correspondent
David Jenkins, published on the Internet, President Abdurrahman
Wahid said he was contemplating resigning in September. Up to the
past weekend no one has confirmed the report. In light of the
recent dismissal of two of his economic ministers, however, it
could be that by making such a remark as reported by the
Australian newspaper, Abdurrahman was aiming at achieving a
number of objectives.

One such objective could be that by stating his desire to cut
short his tenure as President, Abdurrahman was hoping to end the
ongoing public debate concerning the two ministers' dismissal,
presumably on suspicion of corruption, collusion and nepotism.
This could in turn quash the demands for clarification --
something that might well make things even more difficult for
Abdurrahman than they are now.

Another objective could be to gauge the validity of current
assessments that Abdurrahman at this stage finds himself in the
process of losing his legitimacy. It could be that by mentioning
the issue (of possibly resigning), Abdurrahman was hoping to
elicit the kind of feedback that refutes such an assessment. In
the context of the upcoming session of the People's Consultative
Assembly in August, it will be interesting to watch what kind of
developments and possibilities ensue.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta