Case not closed: House factions

JAKARTA (JP): The major political factions in the House of Representatives accepted President Abdurrahman Wahid's apology on Saturday, but still insisted on an open explanation about his decision to dismiss two of his economic ministers in April.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the largest faction in the House, said it wanted to take up the President's offer to explain the background to the dismissal, but not in a limited and closed-door meeting as he has suggested.

PDI Perjuangan faction chairman Arifin Panigoro was quoted as saying by Antara, "We appreciate very much the President's apology and his offer to clarify the two ministers' dismissal. But we want the President to give the clarification in an open meeting with the House."

Golkar, the second-largest faction in the House and the Muslim-based Crescent Star Party (PBB) also accepted the offer of apology but said that whether the House should put the issue to rest would be discussed at a plenary meeting on Monday.

The embattled President, popularly called Gus Dur, wrote to the House on Friday to offer his apology, not for what he had said to the House a day earlier, but rather for the things his statement had caused, including raising political tension.

In the letter, he appealed to the House to drop the matter altogether if they accepted his apology.

A day earlier, he attacked the House for exercising its interpellation right to summon the President to answer questions about his April decision to fire Laksamana Sukardi and Yusuf Kalla -- respectively as minister of investment and state enterprises and minister of industry and trade.

During the meeting, the President said the use of the interpellation right was a betrayal of the 1945 Constitution. While he agreed to meet the summons, he refused to explain the reasons for the dismissal, saying that the interpellation was prompted by classified information that was leaked to the press.

Shortly after the dismissal in April, the President told a closed-door meeting with the House's leadership that he fired the two ministers because they were corrupt. When news of the accusation leaked, the two sacked ministers promptly denied it and their friends in the House began the interpellation motion.

Golkar legislators held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the apology but they failed to agree on an official position.

Ade Khomaruddin, the Golkar legislator behind the interpellation motion, also met with legislators from PDI Perjuangan, the United Development Party, the National Mandate Party, the PBB, the Indonesian Unity and Nationhood (KKI) and the Ummat Sovereignty Party to discuss the President's letter.

They were not happy with the President's refusal to answer the substance of the interpellation motion, Ade said.

"We are considering asking the House to write a petition at a plenary meeting on Monday," he said.

While appreciating the apology, Golkar felt it was not adequate, Ade said.

The PBB faction dismissed the President's offer to hold a closed-door meeting.

Faction chairman Achmad Sumargono said, "The meeting should be open so that public knows the reasons for firing the two ministers."

Zulvan Lindan of PDI Perjuangan said a group of legislators from various factions would ask the House on Monday to urge the President not to make contentions statements in the future.

Sutradara Ginting, KKI faction chairman, said he hoped the President's apology would mend the rift between the House and the President and reduce the political tension.

Sutradara felt the apology was sufficient and the President did not have to make a separate apology to the two sacked ministers because he was only exercising his prerogative.

There was no comment from the National Awakening Party (PKB) -- a minority faction in the House and a party that was founded by Abdurrahman Wahid last year -- to the President's letter.

The party, which will open its first congress in Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday, is expected to discuss ways of safeguarding Gus Dur's presidency in the face of growing criticisms in the run up to next month's meeting of the People Consultative Assembly.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said the President's apology should calm the political storm.

"Now it is up to the House what it wants to do next," said Marzuki, a Golkar politician, but one who has increasingly taken different positions from the party's official line on many issues. (rms/dja)