Amien backs off from call for early special session

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais on Thursday said he would end his calls for an expedited special Assembly session and adhere to the proper Constitutional route of issuing three memorandums before proposing such a session.

Amien admitted that despite his personal preference, "there was no constitutional basis on which to speed up the special session."

He further indicated that the likelihood of issuing a second memorandum was very high given that so far there has been no sign of improvement in Abdurrahman's management, especially in view of the most recent bloody episode in Sampit, Central Kalimantan.

"We have the Sampit problem which claimed many lives. How can he say that it was nothing? Or the continuing downward slope of the rupiah which is a sign that our economy is in bad shape," he said.

"There has been no improvement at all," he added.

The House issued a memorandum on Feb. 1 following discussion of the report about his alleged link to two financial scandals.

The President has three months to respond before the House can issue a second memorandum, to which he has a further month to respond.

A third memorandum can be issued after that and the House can propose that a special session be held to discuss the possibility of impeachment.

In his now customary defiance of Abdurrahman, Amien on Thursday still suggested that "Gus Dur resign from office."

"Resigning will be the cheapest and most elegant way as he will still be considered a great leader for admitting his mistakes," Amien remarked.

Process

Pressure on Abdurrahman to step down and support for Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to succeed him has grown in recent weeks.

The most emphatic support came from Muslim-based parties, which recently reversed their previously held position by asserting that a woman can now be President.

Crescent Star Party (PBB) Chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra met with Megawati here on Thursday to assert this stance.

"I answered Megawati when she asked whether her gender would be a problem, and I said there has been a major change among Muslims. PBB never felt it would be a problem to have a woman as President," he said.

According to Yusril, Megawati also said during the meeting that any attempts to convene a special Assembly session must be conducted in accordance with the constitutional process.

"So, let it proceed like this," Yusril quoted Megawati as saying.

Meanwhile in Yogyakarta political observer Andi A. Mallarangeng also on Thursday urged Abdurrahman to resign, saying that it will be the least precarious way of achieving a change in the national leadership.

"Gus Dur should resign because this would be the cheapest way of achieving a leadership change," he told reporters here after speaking at a national conference on geothermal energy potential.

"If he refuses to resign voluntarily, a constitutional way will be taken to impeach him because he is not even supported any more by Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)," he added.

He said that the President's "whisperers" should tell him the political reality that his political support is weak.

"I think his whisperers always give Gus Dur the wrong information, which is why he's so confident over the support for Megawati," he said.

Andi said constitutionally Megawati is the most appropriate successor, although there is no guarantee that Megawati's administration would last till 2004.

"But we have no other choice. With Gus Dur, we have no hope," he said.(44/dja)