Gus Dur urged to make fundamental changes

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)