Don't blow it Gus!

President Abdurrahman Wahid squandered a rare chance to come clean before the nation on Thursday, which would have restored some credibility to his besieged office. As laudable was his decision to appear before the House of Representatives to answer an interpellation motion, his responses to the questions posed to him left a lot to be desired.

The House, exercising its interpellation right, summoned the President to explain his April dismissals of Laksamana Sukardi and Jusuf Kalla as state minister of investment and state enterprises development and minister of trade and industry, respectively. The motion was prompted by the President's conflicting explanations when he removed the two ministers from his Cabinet. During a closed-door meeting with the House's leadership, he even accused the two respected public figures of corruption.

Instead of directly addressing the questions asked of him on Thursday, the President engaged in polemics, something which nobody in this country, not even the President, needs ahead of next month's meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly. With his popularity, and therefore his legitimacy waning, the President could have used the opportunity presented to him to win back some support. Instead, he bungled it by choosing to confront the House.

His attack on the House's interpellation right as a violation of the Constitution, which took up most of his response, opened up a new Pandora's box. While he may have had some valid points, the meeting on Thursday was neither the place nor the time to discuss the House's constitutional rights.

His decision not to address the substance of the matter, on the grounds that it was based on information leaked from a closed-door meeting, is highly debatable. If he said what he is alleged to have said, especially if it impugned the good names of respected public officials, he should clarify himself, irrespective of whether it was said in confidence. Now that the information from that closed-door meeting has become public, it is appropriate that he address the matter. For someone who claims to champion democracy and transparency, Abdurrahman should have known better than hold a closed-door meeting.

The Laksamana and Jusuf affair is fast turning into a comedy of errors, with the President committing one blunder after another. The decision to replace Laksamana with his deputy, Rozy Munir, for example, came during a row between the President and the dismissed minister over the appointment of executives to state companies. Rozy's appointment itself smacks of favoritism.

The President's conflicting explanations about his decision to replace the two ministers prompted the House to use its interpellation right. His responses to their questions on Thursday antagonized the House even further.

While some House members may have had other designs in supporting the interpellation motion, such as ousting the President, most were only concerned about the confusion the President's actions have created, especially with regard to the reputation of the two former ministers. Going by his responses on Thursday, the President made an error in judgment in assuming the entire House was out to get him.

Had the President gone to the House on Thursday with a more positive attitude, he would have answered the questions differently. He would have used this golden opportunity to make amends for his earlier mistakes. But it is not too late for the President to do the right thing. He still has a chance with the written responses he is expected to submit to the House on Friday.

The President has underestimated the people's ability to accept the human frailties of their leader. When Abdurrahman Wahid was elected president in October, the nation was fully aware of his physical disabilities, including his poor vision and frail health. If he has committed one or two errors, the majority of the people in this country would be willing to forgive him and accept this as just another human frailty. But one thing that the nation can never tolerate is a president who is not willing to admit his mistakes.