Gus Dur forms team to lobby big parties

Gus Dur forms team to lobby big parties

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has tasked
a team of four ministers and the attorney general with lobbying
major political parties for a compromise in the lead-up to a
special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Al-Hilal Hamdi said
after a special ministerial meeting on Friday, that the team
comprised Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and
Security Affairs Agum Gumelar, Coordinating Minister for the
Economy Rizal Ramli, Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. and Attorney
General Baharuddin Lopa.

"With establishment of the team, the government will hold
dialogs and intensify its lobbying of political parties to seek a
win-win solution in the special session," Al-Hilal said after a
meeting of ministers under Agum's coordination.

Also attending the meeting were Lopa, Foreign Minister Alwi
Shihab, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. and
National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro. Mahfud was absent
due to an official visit to East Java with Minister of National
Education Yahya Muhaimin.

Al-Hilal said Mahfud and Lopa would approach the Golkar Party
and the Axis Force, a coalition of Muslim-based parties, while
Agum and Rizal would approach the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Formation of the team came after the MPR decided on Thursday
to ask the President to account for his administration's
governance before a special session scheduled for Aug. 1. The
team reportedly held a meeting at the official residence of State
Minister for Women's Empowerment Khofifah Indar Parawansa later
in the day.

Asked about the possibility of preventing the special session,
Al-Hilal said: "The team is assigned to melt the tension between
the executive body and the legislature, as well as to anticipate
unwanted complications that may follow the special session."

Agum, who refused to reveal the team's detailed mission,
implied that he was also trying to win the military's support.

He acknowledged that he held a meeting with senior Army
officials at the Army Headquarters earlier on Friday, including
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Army Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu and
the Army's special force (Kopassus) chief Maj. Gen. Amirul
Isnaini.

"It was just a family get-together, because I was an Army
officer and served in Kopassus," said Agum, a former Kopassus
chief.

In Surabaya, East Java, Mahfud confirmed that a series of
meetings with several political party leaders had been arranged,
beginning on Monday.

He said the President's team was not tasked with hampering the
special session, but seeking a compromise.

"We have no intention of foiling the special session as it is
no longer avoidable. The main problem at present is how to seek a
compromise with minimal political risks," he said.

But he remained in the dark as to what kinds of political
compromise were on offer.

"We want to know the parties' agenda for the special session
beforehand. We want to know what they want to do with the special
session," he said.

Mahfud further said that his team would remind party leaders
of the price the nation would pay if the President were to be
impeached in the special session, including possible conflicts
erupting between grass roots people.

The political stalemate has been worsened with visible
conflict between the President and his vice president, Megawati
Soekarnoputri, whose party PDI Perjuangan is playing a key role
in demanding Abdurrahman's accountability. The recent Cabinet
reshuffle has added more tension.

Megawati's close aide, however, denied speculation that she
had distanced herself from the government following the recent
Cabinet reshuffle.

In a weekly meeting with journalists on Friday, vice
presidential secretary Bambang Kesowo said that Megawati never
expressed any objection to the newly appointed ministers and
attorney general.

"The new attorney general met Ibu on Wednesday evening and we
are processing a schedule for the minister of fisheries and the
communications minister to also meet the Vice President," Bambang
said.

He further contended that Megawati has yet to respond to the
appointment of National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Chaeruddin
Ismail and Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and
Security Affairs Agum Gumelar.

"As far as I know she never said anything about the
appointment of the officials," Bambang said, adding that Megawati
would most likely accept the deputy police chief should he ask to
have a meeting with her.

Bambang reiterated that Megawati's absence from the Cabinet
meeting on Thursday was due to an engagement she had scheduled
for the day well in advance, and that the invitation for the
meeting only arrived on Wednesday evening.

He said Megawati would attend the next Cabinet meeting and
continue arranging coordination meetings on the economy and
politics as usual.

Bambang further said that Wednesday's breakfast meeting
between the President and Vice President did not take place
"because the two coordinating ministers did not report anything".

"So what could be discussed or decided in the breakfast?"
Bambang countered. (dja/rms/nur/02)