Cabinet 'will not abandon President'

Cabinet 'will not abandon President'

JAKARTA (JP): Chief political affairs minister Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono insisted on Monday that he and other ministers would
not abandon the administration of President Abdurrahman Wahid in
times of crisis, and pledged to aid the embattled President to
make the right political decisions.

In a statement distributed by his office here on Monday,
Susilo said the situation and circumstances now were different to
that of the mass resignation of several economics ministers led
by Ginandjar Kartasasmita on the eve of President Soeharto's
fall.

"I have an attitude and position which is different," Susilo,
who is coordinating minister for political, social and security
Affairs, said.

"It is better for my friends (fellow ministers) and I to
continue helping the President and the Vice President by
continually providing recommendations to find a constructive
political solution while conducting our respective (ministerial)
duties," he said.

"We don't want to leave just like that!"

Susilo, one of the President's key advisors, made his
statement in response to comments by a senior National Awakening
Party official who warned that the seven ministers providing
recommendations following the issuance of the second memorandum
of censure could become "Brutuses" or traitors.

Susilo's remarks also come amid speculation that the
government is in disarray following Saturday's aborted Cabinet
meeting.

The minister said on Monday that he regretted the statement
saying that it only aggravated the situation further.

"If the situation really deteriorates then it will be
President Abdurrahman himself who suffers," Susilo warned.

Susilo heads a close-knit team which gave several
recommendations to the President after the House issued the
second censure.

While the specifics of the recommendations have not been made
public, some ministers have revealed that they included a
possible delegation of executive power to Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

Also among the officials who met with the President to deliver
the recommendations were Minister of Defense Mahfud MD, Attorney
General Marzuki Darusman, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi
Shihab, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Baharuddin Lopa and
Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Erna Witoelar.

Susilo said he could understand the criticism against the
ministers, arguing that their recommendations would not satisfy
everyone.

One example he cited was that the ministers were being blamed
for not telling Abdurrahman to resign.

"I really don't understand. During the House plenary session
of April 30 as far as I know not a single faction called for Gus
Dur's resignation...So why should the minister ask him to
resign?"

Susilo then went on to say that if the recommendations were
not in line with what the President had in mind, "It should not
be perceived as disloyalty or treachery."

He went on to note that in the past he had told Abdurrahman
that "in a critical situation" he would provide recommendations
which may or may not be to the President's liking.

"What I am doing, and will continue to do, is so that Gus Dur
does not make the wrong political decisions.

"The risk is too high if the decision is wrong ... I leave
that up to the people to judge whether these tough
recommendations are salvation or treachery."

Susilo further revealed that he and his fellow ministers would
likely come under more scrutiny as Vice President Megawati had
"purportedly" asked them to provide further key recommendations
to the President.

Separately in Bandung, West Java, noted Muslim scholar
Nurcholish Madjid said the President should respond to the
House's censure in a calm and measured manner.

"The memorandum is only a statement ... The problem is Gus Dur
panicked," he said in a discussion on Saturday.

According to Nurcholish, one problem was Abdurrahman's
inability to differentiate his personal role as a kyai (religious
leader) and as President.

Nurcholish noted that the paternalistic and hierarchic kyai
style of leadership remained dominant in Abdurrahman's management
of government which was in fact unsuitable.

"But to summarily accuse him of being evil is difficult,
because he doesn't realize that his ways are erroneous as part of
a modern political institution," Nurcholish said. (02/25)