Gus Dur enjoys breakfast at Mega's official residence

Gus Dur enjoys breakfast at Mega's official residence

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid breakfasted at Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's official residence on Jl.
Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday in a clear attempt at
refuting rumors of worsening relations with her.

The President said at their meeting they discussed the latest
state of the country and the relationship between the National
Awakening Party (PKB), which the President cofounded last year,
and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
which Megawati chairs.

He insisted the meeting was a routine one, and his
relationship with Megawati was fine despite some differences in
their political views.

"I received some suggestions from her, and in return I
conveyed my opinions to her. I have never forced (my views) on
her," the President said afterward.

Cracks have been showing in the long-standing relationship
between the two reform figureheads following Abdurrahman's firing
of Laksamana Sukardi, a senior member of PDI Perjuangan, as state
minister of investment and state enterprises development last
month. He was replaced by Abdurrahman's friend Rozy Munir.

Gus Dur, as the President is widely known, sent his daughter
Zannuba Arifah "Yeni" Chafsoh Rahman and cousin Saifullah Yusuf
to tell Megawati about the reshuffle, who was on a private visit
to Singapore.

"I had breakfast with her just now. She wasn't angry,"
Abdurrahman replied when asked about their relationship.

When pressed on why he went to Megawati's home, he said: "It
is my own business. Because she is a woman."

Abdurrahman also used the media briefing as an opportunity to
defend his youngest brother Hasyim Wahid, who is currently
working as an expert staff at the Indonesian Banking
Restructuring Agency (IBRA).

He said the agency needed his brother's help to make
problematic debtors repay their debts. "It is natural if IBRA
chairman Cacuk Sudaryanto pays him and provides him some
facilities," he said.

He said he had told Hasyim to go ahead with his work
persuading debtors to settle their obligations, and guaranteed
that his brother was a honest man.

The President also touched on rumors of a massive reshuffle of
the Indonesian Military (TNI), including the replacement of TNI
Chief Admiral Widodo A.S. (prb)