Arrest plan leaves many baffled again

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid left the nation baffling again with his disclosure on Saturday that he has sanctioned the police to arrest legislators whom he accused of being the source of many of Indonesia's current troubles.

But as the President left the names and their specific crimes vague, he kept the nation's political elite busy throughout Sunday speculating as to who exactly he was referring to.

Some pointed to Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Fuad Bawazier, two ministers who served the corrupt regime of president Soeharto and are now members of the People's Consultative Assembly. Others suggested that the President could be targeting at Assembly chairman Amien Rais and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, both of whom are now among his most staunchest critics.

Gus Dur's revelation came after earlier accusations that the Maluku violence was the work of supporters of Soeharto aimed at keeping Indonesia constantly unstable.

Akbar, who also chairs Golkar party, for one refused to speculate, at least not in public.

"I don't know the reasons behind his approval for the police to arrest several legislators. I will call Gus Dur for an explanation," Akbar was quoted by Antara as saying.

"I don't even know the names of the legislators," Akbar said in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

He said he hoped the investigation was not part of the president's effort to silence outspoken legislators, for it would undermine Indonesia's nascent democracy.

Akbar said the planned police investigation should have nothing to do with the House's vote last week to summon the President for questioning over the sacking of two members of his economic team, Laksamana Sukardi and Jusuf Kalla, in April.

He said the summons, permitted under the House's interpellation right, was not aimed at impeaching Gus Dur as often speculated by political pundits.

Ahmad Sumargono from the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) urged the President to supply evidence to back up his accusation that the source of Indonesia's political conflicts came from the House or the Assembly.

"If Gus Dur cannot come up with the evidence, then his accusation was merely a political ploy," Ahmad said. "In that case, he is not all different from Soeharto," Sumargono, who chairs the PBB's House faction, told reporters.

Ahmad too was in the dark about the legislators to be questioned by the police or about the charges against them.

Speaking to participants of the National Dialog Forum in Denpasar, Bali, on Saturday, Abdurrahman revealed that he has given his approval to a police request to investigate several legislators.

"I have signed the letter for a number of members of the House and the Assembly to be summoned because there is enough evidence," he said.

A presidential permission is required for the police to investigate members of the House or the Assembly.

But the President, who has to present an annual progress report to the Assembly in August, said many of the political chaos in Indonesia today were the work of some members of the Assembly or the House.

"It's difficult to find evidence. But when we can get it, the problem of this country will be over," he said.

He also accused some legislators of engineering corruption charges against him to remove him from office, including their initiative to use the House's interpellation rights against him.

"Some legislators are using the interpellation right to topple me. Some are just exercising their political right, and I understand and respect them," he said.

Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization and a close confidante of the President, said he was aware that the police were currently investigating some legislators but he refused to disclose names.

"The police need the president's permission to question legislators," he told reporters while attending a gathering of the Muslim's Justice Party.

He declined to confirm whether Fuad Bawazier, a former finance minister, is one of those to be questioned, but added that rumors about Fuad did not originate from Gus Dur.

Fuad, who was attending the same gathering, called the accusation against him slanderous and nonsense.

He rejected the accusation that he had financed the operation of the Jihad Force, although he admitted that he had given donations to religious organizations.

The Jihad Force has sent thousands Muslim volunteers to Maluku, a province racked by sectarian violence these last 18 months.

"I don't finance illegal activities, such as the procurement of fire arms or other activities against the government," Fuad said.

Ginandjar, who served as an economic minister for Soeharto and later for President B.J. Habibie until October, denied on Friday the accusations that he was the "provocateur" behind many of the violent clashes in Indonesia.

"I'm not a political hoodlum. I always tow the line of my Golkar party," he said. (zen/dja/jun)