Cabinet does not intend to interfere with House: Lopa

Cabinet does not intend to interfere with House: Lopa

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice and Human Rights Burhanuddin
Lopa insisted on Sunday that the appeal from the Cabinet to the
House of Representatives to not issue a second censure against
President Abdurrahman Wahid was not interference nor an attempt
to usurp the authority of the legislature.

"The Cabinet made the appeal in good faith only out of its
great concern for the unity of the nation and not to defend
anybody," Lopa told a meeting with mass media editors.

Lopa was accompanied at the media briefing by Minister of
Agriculture Bungaran Saragih and Minister of Settlement and
Regional Infrastructure Erna Witoelar.

Most politicians and analysts have lambasted the Cabinet's
appeal, which was conveyed by Lopa to House leaders on Friday, as
an act of intervention of House authority.

Lopa, who is known for his integrity and courage to defend the
supremacy of law even during Soeharto's authoritarian rule, was
attacked by several members of the media as being a sycophant to
Abdurrahman.

Lopa said the appeal he conveyed to the House was decided at a
Cabinet meeting on Thursday after reviewing the latest situation,
notably the steady inflow of Abdurrahman's supporters into
Jakarta, and assessing the horrendous possibility that the nation
might plunge into chaos.

"The Cabinet came to the conclusion that the political impasse
has escalated to such a boiling point as to threaten the whole
nation, making it almost impossible for the ministers to execute
their tasks," he said.

Then, he added, as the House plans to issue a second censure
against the President was analyzed as one of the main reasons
behind the impasse, the Cabinet decided to appeal to the House to
make a more thorough contemplation, assessing the damages that
could be inflicted, before the legislators go ahead with their
decision.

"It is simply an appeal in a last-ditch effort to save the
nation from any irreparable damages that could ensue from a
second censure," Lopa added.

He said the Cabinet only asked for understanding on the part
of the House regarding the grave dangers the nation is facing now
and the devastating damages a second censure could cause.

"But I understood their position when House Speaker Akbar
Tandjung and the House vice speakers who accompanied him at the
meeting with me all insisted that the process of issuing a second
censure at the plenary session on Monday would continue.

"I only suggested on behalf of the Cabinet that the House sees
to it that whatever the form and content of the second censure
they may issue, that it does not lead to an impeachment process,"
Lopa added.

It is entirely up to the House as to whether the legislators
will take heed or simply reject the Cabinet appeal, Lopa said,
reiterating that the Cabinet's initiative was not meant to defend
anyone but only to save the nation from disaster.

Asked as to why he risked compromising his integrity by
venturing to represent the Cabinet in conveying the appeal to the
House, Lopa said he did not mind the accusations, because "I
sincerely believe that what I did was entirely for the good of
nation".

He said he did not ask to be appointed as the purveyor of the
appeal, adding that "both the Cabinet and Abdurrahman agreed that
as a legal expert, I am the right person to meet the House and
answer any questions the House leaders may raise in connection
with the appeal".

Lopa also denied some newspaper reports accusing him of
suggesting at the Cabinet meeting on Thursday that the House be
dissolved.

"I am not that stupid to propose such a thing. The issue of
dissolving the House (legislature) came up during our discussion
of the systems of government in other countries. But I strongly
asserted that under our presidential Cabinet the House cannot be
dissolved by the President or the other way around," he added.

Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih, who also attended
the Cabinet meeting, concurred that Lopa never hinted such a
thing during the meeting.

"The Cabinet entrusted Lopa to convey the appeal to the House
and to ask for the legislators' understanding about the dangers
the nation is facing," Bungaran added. (vin)