Gus Dur and Megawati engage in war of words

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri disclosed on Saturday that President Abdurrahman Wahid had planned to impose a state of emergency and order the arrest of several people on Saturday if the House of Representatives continued with its efforts to oust him.

The two top state officials were locked in a tense war of words about the nature of a closed-door Cabinet meeting on Friday in which Abdurrahman also offered to "transfer constitutional tasks" to Megawati as part of a compromise to resolve the leadership crisis.

The President and his aides launched a campaign on Saturday to deny allegations that he had given Megawati a Friday midnight deadline to respond to his offer, or else he would go ahead with imposing a state of emergency.

Vice presidential secretary Bambang Kesowo said he was ordered by Megawati to disclose the contents of the Cabinet meeting, including Abdurrahman's remarks on the state of emergency plan and the transfer of power proposal.

"In his view, the House plan to call for a People's Consultative Assembly special session violates the 1945 Constitution. The President could not tolerate such a plan, and was determined to maintain and defend the 1945 Constitution.

"Therefore if by 00:00 on Friday, May 25, 2001, the President did not see any sign to stop the Assembly special session plan by the House, the President would have taken measures to announce a state of emergency on May 26, 2000 at 9 a.m.," Bambang said in a prepared statement.

Then the President also revealed his plan to expedite the general election six months earlier than its original schedule in 2004, said Bambang.

"In his position as supreme commander of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and the police, the President would order legal actions against certain people," Bambang disclosed Abdurrahman's threat.

According to Bambang, the Vice President had warned the President to desist with his plan to impose a state of emergency because a team of seven ministers, appointed by him to find a solution to the political deadlock, had also warned him not to take the measure.

The President and his aides have repeatedly denied reports about his plan to implement a state of emergency. The President once described it as a manipulation of facts by the press.

Bambang also disclosed Abdurrahman's offer to transfer his constitutional powers to Megawati until 2004. Abdurrahman, said Bambang, told Megawati during the meeting that he had signed a decree to transfer his constitutional responsibilities to the Vice President. The decree would soon be announced to public.

Bambang asserted that Megawati had made her final decision in response to the President's overture.

"The transfer of power bargain still needs to be studied deeply and carefully, especially from the legal substances of view. In her (Megawati) view, there are still many unclear points in the transfer of power, which will provoke lengthy contention," Bambang read out a three-page written statement.

Separately, Abdurrahman said the transfer of power plan was a compromise to avoid a state of emergency and the convening of an MPR special session.

"The latest development is quite encouraging, because the political parties are now meeting to make a compromise (to the proposal) as guidance for all," the President insisted in a brief media briefing, which was held in a break in a regular medical examination he was undergoing.

The President's checkup was moved from Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta to his official residence, Merdeka Palace.

The offer, however, was followed with a warning from the President against the House rejecting his offer to Megawati as a final political compromise, Bambang noted.

The President warned that he would impose a state of emergency to succeed in changing the situation to one under which political parties would prefer a political compromise rather than an MPR special session.

Citing Attorney General Marzuki Darusman's report, he said Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung had also decided against the special session plan.

He also said that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto had reported to him that the Indonesian Military (TNI) leaders also had decided to oppose a special session.

"Now there is such a reaction. It is a reaction to the possibility of the implementation of a state of emergency," the President said.

Abdurrahman pointed out that the country would face a serious disintegration problem if he was forced out of office, because at least three provinces had offered him their presidency.

The President contended that local leaders of Aceh, East Java and Irian Jaya had told him they would declare their separation from Indonesia and become independent and all of them had asked Abdurrahman to become their president.

"If you quit as president, East Java will declare its independence and you will become our president," Abdurrahman quoted East Java leaders as telling him.

To strengthen his claim, he said East Java Governor Imam Utomo had told him that the province would reject the Assembly's special session plan.

"Do not underestimate the aspirations of the regions," the President asserted. Imam later denied the President's statement.

Abdurrahman's claim about Golkar's stance was, however, refuted by Marzuki and Akbar. Marzuki strongly denied Abdurrahman's remarks.

"It is almost definite that the Assembly's special session will be held," Akbar responded when asked about the President's claim.

Separately, Endriartono denied Abdurrahman's claim that the Army chief had reported to the President the result of a series of meetings of military top brass over the past few days.

Four Cabinet members, namely defense minister Mahfud MD, foreign minister Alwi Shihab, religious minister Tolchah Hasan and trade minister Luhut Panjaitan, attended the meeting of senior military officers on Saturday. (prb/nur)