Gus Dur to meet House on chief justice veto

Gus Dur to meet House on chief justice veto

JAKARTA (JP): Presidential spokesman Wimar Witoelar said on
Saturday that the government will officially convey its rejection
of Muladi and Bagir Manan as the Supreme Court chief justice
candidates, and that the President would not compromise his
principles for the sake of political expediency.

Speaking to journalists at a hastily called briefing, Wimar
said the President, accompanied by Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, would meet with the House of Representatives in
January to formally convey his rejection of the two candidates
which were submitted by the House.

Abdurrahman had earlier revealed that he did not have a green
light from Megawati to endorse either Muladi or Bagir Manan and
she, therefore, has been instructed to look for alternative
candidates for the Supreme Court position.

The House has thus far insisted Abdurrahman choose between
Muladi, who was justice minister under former president B.J.
Habibie, and Bagir Manan, Muladi's former subordinate, for the
post.

Abdurrahman has said that both men were "loyal to the New
Order and to be partisan".

The President also created controversy on Friday when he
accused House Speaker Akbar Tandjung of saying that Abdurrahman,
during a meeting here on Thursday evening, had agreed that one of
the two nominated candidates would be selected.

Akbar was quick to deny the accusation on Saturday saying that
"false information has been given to the President".

"I swear to God that I never said that Gus Dur agreed to
choose between Muladi or Bagir Manan to be the Supreme Court
chief," Akbar told a media conference, held an hour before
Wimar's briefing.

Wimar later said that "it will be too unproductive" to
continue the controversy.

"The President said that he doesn't want to continue the
debate but wants to return to the core of the problem: that the
current candidates are totally unacceptable to both the President
and Vice President," Wimar said.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman and Foreign Minister Alwi
Shihab also attended the meeting on Thursday, Wimar said.

Wimar implied that some parties may have been trying to seek a
compromise with the President during the meeting.

He insisted that the government would not "acquiesce to
temptations" of being engaged in "political expediency" between
the government and the House.

By law, the President has the right to select or reject any of
the names proposed to him by the House.(02/byg)