Gus Dur urged to make fundamental changes

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators attending Saturday's informal meeting sponsored by former coordinating minister for finance, economy and industry Kwik Kian Gie, issued on Wednesday their conclusion which included demands for President Abdurrahman Wahid to make essential changes to ensure he retains power till 2004.

Ade Komaruddin, chairman of the meeting's steering committee, said one of the most important things was that the President must change the way he runs the government.

"If the President makes fundamental changes in the way he governs, the government's performance will improve and numerous major problems in the social, economic, political and legal fields will be able to be solved," he said in a press conference here on Wednesday.

Ade who was accompanied by Kwik, People's Consultative Assembly member Fahmi Idris, legislator Alvin Lie of the Reform Faction and Deputy House of Representatives Speaker A.M. Fatwa, denied suggestions that the steering committee had watered down the conclusion in the period since the meeting was held on Saturday.

He said the committee would not officially hand over the meeting's results to the House, but expects legislators who participated in the meeting would channel it through their respective factions.

"The meeting's results are not binding but legislators participating in the meeting are expected to bring it to their faction meetings to be discussed," he said.

During the meeting there seemed to be an overriding view that Abdurrahman should resign as they deemed that little progress had been made in his one year as president.

There were also trenchant questions raised about Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri's readiness to replace Abdurrahman.

The meeting has sparked contradictory reactions from numerous sides.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung who did not attend but initially gave tacit support to the meeting, has since maintained that the results do not represent the views of the House.

Fahmi said on Wednesday that the meeting should be viewed positively as it was an input for the government and simultaneously an early warning for the president.

"The government should listen to recommendations on what it should do to defuse the economic crisis, to cope with the political instability, to uphold legal supremacy and to reduce the threat of disintegration. It is up to the President to respond or not," he said.

Fahmi said he doubted the President would be able to repair the government's performance and it was better for him to delegate a greater part of his power to the Vice President.

Megawati has brushed aside suggestions that she take over from Abdurrahman.

Separately, a number of legislators hailed Megawati's response.

Hatta Radjasa of the Reform Faction said that her statement showed loyalty and awareness of her position as Vice President.

Sophan Sophian of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said Megawati displayed her character as a true democrat who wanted all problems to be solved in a constitutional manner.

Taufiqurrachman Saleh, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Faction, on the other hand deplored Assembly speaker Amien Rais's hasty statement that he was ready to be a vice president if Megawati was replaced Abdurrahman.(rms)