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)