Assembly session not to impeach President Wahid, says Amien Rais

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais assured foreign investors on Friday that the President's progress report in the August general session of the Assembly was not an accountability hearing that could lead to impeachment.

"The general session is not an extraordinary forum which could be used to topple the President," Amien told participants of the Indonesian International Telecommunication, Media and Information Technology Conference and Exhibition (IITELMIT).

Also speaking in the forum held by Harvest International were House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who also chairs the Golkar Party, and Minister of Forestry Nurmahmudi Nur Ismail, the former president of the Justice Party.

Amien, who is the National Mandate Party chairman, agreed it was quite unfair to sack President Abdurrahman Wahid while he has been in charge for only nine months doing abundant homework to restore the country.

There is a possibility, although very small, to turn the Assembly general session into an extraordinary session only if Gus Dur, as the President is popularly known, fails to impress until August.

He said that the President has a chance to change his style and improve his administration in order to safely pass the general session.

Earlier in his introduction, Amien repeatedly said he could easily bang his gavel to change the general session into an extraordinary session.

When asked whether he supported an idea to give Abdurrahman the role as senior adviser, Amien responded, "I agree with the idea that we choose a first minister to run the administration while naming Gus Dur senior adviser," Amien said.

Akbar asserted the general session could not be used to file a vote of no-confidence which might result in the President's dismissal.

"In the session, the Assembly will just give the President strong recommendations," Akbar said.

Nurmahmudi said he regretted certain parties' efforts to shake the national stability by circulating rumors of an extraordinary Assembly session. (jun)