Gus Dur and Megawati engage in war of words

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)