Habibie clarifies ICMI's views

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)