Aborted Cabinet meeting raises eyebrows
JAKARTA (JP): Speculation mounted that all is not well within President Abdurrahman Wahid's administration following a series of mysterious events involving the head of state, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the Cabinet as well as the Indonesian Military (TNI) leadership on Saturday.
The President opened a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the Bina Graha presidential office at around 9 a.m. and left after 10 minutes.
Megawati remained behind for another 10 minutes, before she too departed. And 10 to 15 minutes later, members of the Cabinet trooped out one by one.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took the initiative of organizing another meeting with members of the Cabinet at his office. But that too was aborted after only a few ministers turned up.
Presidential palace officials were tightlipped about the content of meeting and why it was abruptly ended.
Defense minister Mahfud M.D also untypically refused to say much about the meeting, ignoring journalists knocking on his car window.
Conflicting explanations by two top Cabinet ministers only served to fuel more speculation that something was not right.
Susilo said the meeting reviewed the political situation in Indonesia, and that he was hoping to continue the discussion with other members of the Cabinet at his office.
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli said the meeting was to discuss revisions to the state budget, and that was adjourned because of the absence of Minister of Finance Priyadi Praptosuharjo.
"The meeting was postponed because the finance minister is ill," Rizal told journalists after the meeting, which unusually lasted only about 45 minutes.
Earlier, the President had a working breakfast with some, but not all, of the top TNI leaders. That meeting raised eyebrows more for the list of absentees than the list of attendees.
Present were Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Indroko Sastrowiryono, Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Hanafie Asnan, and Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, the chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad).
Conspicuously absent were TNI chief Admiral Widodo AS and National Police chief General Surojo Bimantoro. Widodo, however, took part in the Cabinet meeting later in the day.
The President, Vice President and most members of the Cabinet were present at the installation ceremony for two new deputy chief justices of the Supreme Court.
Relations between Abdurrahman and Megawati have soured since the House of Representatives issued a second censure motion against the President for his alleged leadership failings.
The motion brought the process of impeachment against the President one step closer and should that happen, Megawati would automatically take over.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), which is chaired by Megawati, in the meantime has taken the initiative of organizing a meeting of leaders from all the major political parties to explore the possible steps that may be taken following this week's rebuke.
All the major parties have supported the initiative but PDI Perjuangan has yet to set a date for the meeting.
The embattled Abdurrahman has resisted pressure to step down and vowed to fight any attempts to unseat him.
He has, on more than one occasion, broached the possibility of dissolving the House of Representatives, which he has repeatedly accused of acting beyond its authority under Indonesia's presidential system of government.
Presidential spokesman Adhi Massardi was also caught off- guard, arriving at the Bina Graha only to find that the Cabinet meeting had been aborted.
He also refused to comment on the meeting, the first to see both Abdurrahman and Megawati in attendance since the House rebuked the President for the second time on Monday.
"It's beyond my authority to make any comment on that. It's Pak Marsilam job," Adhi said referring to Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak. (02/byg/emb)