Don't blow it Gus!

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.