Habibie clarifies ICMI's views

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President B.J. Habibie yesterday repudiated reports that the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) supported calls for an extraordinary session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and a cabinet reshuffle, saying remarks by two top ICMI officials asserting such a position were made in a personal capacity.

Habibie, who is also the chairman of ICMI, said remarks by ICMI executive chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro and secretary-general Adi Sasono did not reflect the association's view of not involving itself in political matters.

"What was said by Pak Achmad Tirtosudiro and Pak Adi Sasono was a normative answer, so it was not on the behalf of ICMI, merely one person responding to another's question," Habibie argued. "It was absolutely not an ICMI policy or view!"

The Vice President was responding to reports that Achmad and Adi had said, in an official media conference here Wednesday, that the association fully supported calls for an extraordinary Assembly session and a cabinet reshuffle as a means for political reform.

The comments were made during the question and answer period immediately after the two announced a statement drafted by the association's central and regional boards.

The two-page statement called for total political reform, saying the government's latest reform proposals were "vague, too little and too late".

"It does not reflect any sign if a pro-reform spirit," the statement said.

But Habibie pointed out yesterday that the statement made no mention of an extraordinary session or a cabinet reshuffle.

Speaking at Halim Perdanakuma Airport yesterday after seeing off President Soeharto who left for Egypt, Habibie blamed the media for what he described as "distorted reporting" on the results of the ICMI meeting.

"What was pursued (by journalists) in the media conference was not the results (of the board meeting) drafted in the ICMI statement. But during the question and answer period, it was issues not at all discussed by ICMI, namely the extraordinary session of the Assembly and a cabinet reshuffle," Habibie charged.

He claimed that the association, formed in 1990, did not discuss or put political issues on its agenda. The agenda, he said, included ways to develop human resources.

Habibie technically still chairs the association. However, since being selected for vice president in March, he has had to delegate the job to Achmad.

Neither Achmad nor Adi had made any retraction of their comment before Habibie spoke on the subject yesterday.

Habibie criticized people who called for an extraordinary session of the Assembly, saying that "those who thought in that direction are aspersing democracy, aspersing democracy."

He maintained that there was "no logical reason" to demand such a meeting since the Assembly had concluded its General Session only two months earlier, producing new State Policy Guidelines and reelecting Soeharto as president and electing Habibie as vice president.

He further asserted that a cabinet reshuffle was the complete prerogative of the President.

He said that having been given the mandate of the people through the Assembly, the President had the right to form and shape his cabinet. (prb/mds)