Govt fails to resolve dire issues: Gus Dur
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid criticized the government on Friday for its failures to address pressing problems, and warned that the current government could collapse if Golkar and the Indonesian Military (TNI) withdrew their support.
"As the government is no longer capable of carrying out its task effectively, it's time to take over," Gus Dur said without elaborating.
Gus Dur also condemned a legal maneuver carried out by the Attorney General's Office to arrest House Speaker and Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung, saying that it would only trigger a battle between the executive and legislative branches.
Briefing the press at the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Headquarters on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta, Gus Dur argued that "it is rare for the head of the executive branch (Megawati) to approve the incarceration of the House of Representatives (DPR) speaker as the two institutions are equal."
"Even though the Attorney General's Office decided to detain Akbar because it has sufficient reasons to do so, we could see that Megawati, knowingly or unknowingly, has supported the move, despite claims that she didn't intervene in the legal process," Gus Dur said, while making it clear that the Attorney General is a Cabinet member and a subordinate of the President.
Akbar, a suspect in a Rp 54.6 billion financial scandal involving State Logistics Agency (Bulog), was detained on Thursday, making him the highest official to be incarcerated in the country's attempts to wipe out corruption, nepotism and collusion, which were widely blamed for Indonesia's economic collapse.
Megawati, who took over as President in July 2001 with the support of a loose coalition that included Golkar, has not issued an official statement on Akbar's detention.
"Considering that our national courts can be arranged for the sake of certain interests, Akbar may be free from all legal charges," Gus Dur added.
According to Gus Dur, Akbar's detention had effectively destroyed the House speaker's political career.
He also questioned the glaring absence of Cabinet ministers with military backgrounds at the commemoration of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command's (Kostrad) anniversary last Thursday.
"The absence of these ministers showed that senior military personnel holding political posts have been ignored by the TNI leadership," he said.
There are currently three former military personnel in Megawati's Gotong Royong Cabinet, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno and Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar.
Gus Dur also criticized the Cabinet decision to set a three- month deadline for banks to repay their debts, saying that the policy angered conglomerates.
"By deciding that the government will not extend the period of debt repayment for these conglomerates, many of them have expressed their anger to me... and of course it (the anger) will be a threat for Megawati's administration," Gus Dur said.
In a developing country like Indonesia, a close relationship between the government and the private sector was a must, he said.
Many believe that several conglomerates previously linked to the New Order regime have switched their allegiance to Megawati's administration and have given financial support both to her party and administration for the sake of their mutual benefit.