Gus Dur had better step down

Gus Dur had better step down

From Rakyat Merdeka

The fact that the number of Indonesian refugees in Indonesia is close to one million people has badly wounded our nationalism and humanity, the two qualities which we have maintained all these years. Huge funds, which may not be allocated in the state/regional budget, will be needed to alleviate the plight of the refugees and find the best solution to their problems.

One of the ways to make available these funds will be to use the non-budgetary funds reportedly worth trillions of rupiah, kept by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), state-owned enterprises and other government institutions. These funds may be disbursed only by a presidential or vice presidential decree.

In my opinion the tension between the President and the legislature stems from the President's frequently controversial attitude and his habit of playing down the nation's serious problems. If this tension continues, the life of the nation in all areas will be adversely affected.

The fact is that at present President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid no longer enjoys sufficient political support from the House of Representatives, as evident from the issuance of the first memorandum, which is very likely to be followed by a second and finally a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). It seems certain that in the special session the President will be constitutionally discharged from his position.

This may hardly affect Gus Dur and his family because from the start, he actually had no desire to be President. Unfortunately, this constitutional discharge may adversely affect members of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). They may be ostracized by the public, a situation harmful to the development of PKB/NU in the future. PKB/NU leaders must be aware of this possibility.

Therefore, for the sake of the nation's future, including the future of members of PKB/NU, it is only proper if President Gus Dur magnanimously and honorably relinquishes his presidency. In this way, surely the people will always regard him as a national figure and the nation's teacher. And he will be written about in 'golden ink' in the annals of the Indonesian nation.

H. SOEDIYONO ST

Jakarta