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)