Gus Dur meets PPP chairman

Gus Dur meets PPP chairman

JAKARTA (JP): With many of his opponents believing his days
are numbered, President Abdurrahman Wahid has displayed yet again
his art of survival by seeking more support from Muslim groups.

Top executives from the Muslim-based United Development Party
(PPP) and Abdurrahman's National Awakening Party (PKB) confirmed
on Sunday that the embattled President met with PPP chairman
Hamzah Haz at an unannounced place on Friday night to discuss
possible moves to prevent the People's Consultative Assembly from
holding a special session.

The meeting came as seven political parties are preparing for
a meeting, which could result in a demand for Abdurrahman's
resignation.

During the meeting, Abdurrahman reportedly warned that an
Assembly special session called by his opponents to oust him
would only widen the gap between Muslim and non-Muslim groups.

PKB deputy secretary-general Chotibul Umam Wiranu told The
Jakarta Post that Abdurrahman urged Hamzah to circulate this
message to other Muslim-based parties.

"By reaching political compromise, the nation should avoid the
disparity of the two groups, which share different ideologies, as
happened during the 1999 presidential election. Hamzah Haz was
asked to convey the message to Muslim groups," Chotibul said.

A coalition of Muslim-based parties, including PPP, supported
the election of Abdurrahman as many Muslim groups rejected the
possibility of electing a woman president.

Chotibul said the President also asserted that "there will
more opportunities for Muslims both in politics and within the
economy".

The "opportunities" could mean positions in the Cabinet or
other state official posts, Chotibul said.

"Maybe they (the posts) are not the most important
considerations. The main point is how to avoid the polarization
of Muslim and non-Muslim groups," he said.

PPP was part of a loose coalition of Muslim-based parties
called Axis Force that catapulted Abdurrahman to the presidency
in October 1999, beating Megawati Soekarnoputri, the current Vice
President, whose Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle won the
most votes in the general election.

Muslim parties, ironically, have become the staunchest
supporters for Abdurrahman's resignation due to his erratic
leadership style.

Abdurrahman has been rebuked twice by the House of
Representatives for his alleged role in two financial scandals.
He has until May 30 to answer the second censure, and if the
reply is deemed unsatisfactory the House could call for an MPR
special session to impeach him.

To bring the current political stalemate to an end, Chotibul
said that PKB had suggested that Presidential Decree No. 121/2000
on the delegation of power from the president to vice president
requires revision and the Cabinet needs to reshuffle in
accordance to the proportional representation of political
parties in the House of Representatives.

"We have never agreed to a delegation of power as it will
violate the Constitution. That's why we have put forward the two
proposals to the President," he said.

Abdurrahman has assigned a team of seven ministers to draw up
a power-sharing formula, but has repeatedly said that he would
reject attempts to assign the Vice President with greater
authority.

PPP Secretary General Alimarwan Hanan told the Post that
Friday's meeting was to discuss the possibility of MPR holding a
special session. Alimarwan said Abdurrahman threatened to issue a
presidential decree to declare a state of emergency that would
enable him to dismiss the House and Assembly.

"Hamzah said that nobody would support the idea but
Abdurrahman claimed that he had the backing of the Indonesian
Military and it was only their top officers who were against the
idea," Alimarwan said.

He reiterated that PPP would proceed with the memorandum of
censure, despite the President's threat.

"We will abide with the process, whatever the President may
respond to. It is the constitutional process and the House has
the authority to decide," Alimarwan said.

Separately, a PDI Perjuangan executive, Noviantika Nasution,
said that the party was still waiting for a better solution and
considered the President's rejection to the delegation of power
as not being final.

"We still believe that we have a chance of reaching a
compromise, although we will not deny the possibility of an MPR
special session as part of the constitutional process,"
Noviantika said. (dja)