Arrest plan leaves many baffled again

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)