House backs plan for power-sharing

House backs plan for power-sharing

JAKARTA (JP): The power sharing formula between President
Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
albeit for its constitutional stumbling block, won support from
House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung on Monday.

Akbar called on the President to take the proposal into
account in a bid to give his government the political support it
needs to run effectively.

"It could be a peaceful solution to the national leadership
crisis and the current political chaos," he said when asked to
comment on the power sharing here on Monday.

The Supreme Advisory Board (DPA) advised the President last
week to allow Megawati to take the lead in the government so that
he could focus on his position as head of state. The board
asserted the power sharing would enable the government to end the
political instability.

Akbar conceded the power sharing was against the 1945
Constitution, which emphasizes the authority of the President,
but said it could be a better alternative to save the current
government until 2004.

"Our constitution stipulates that the president functions as
both head of state and head of government but the president and
vice president could make a compromise so that the power sharing
could be done without breaching the constitution's spirit," he
said, referring to the presidential decree on the handing-over of
the day-to-day administration to the vice president issued last
year.

He said that despite the DPA's advice, the House would follow
up its memorandum of censure sent to Abdurrahman with the hope
that the President would improve his government's performance.

"The House will issue the second memorandum and likely call
for a special session of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to
ask for the President's accountability if the latter fails to
rectify his government," he said.

Separately, noted constitutional law expert Sri Soemantri said
the power sharing idea should come from the President, otherwise
it would violate the constitution.

"The matter depends on the president and the vice president
whether they agree with it or not because the former's status as
head of state and government is guaranteed by the constitution,"
he said.

Such a formula is not new in Indonesia's history since
founding president Sukarno appointed Mohammad Hatta as prime
minister in 1948.

Soemantri, a professor at Padjadjaran University in Bandung,
said the compromise between the president and vice president was
required because the power sharing would also depend on whether
Megawati was ready to receive it.

"If the two agree to share the presidential power, the
president could annul the Presidential Decree No. 121/2000 and
issue a new one to review the power sharing," he said.

Skepticism over the feasibility of the power sharing was aired
by political analyst Maswadi Rauf, who insisted that the
President had no other choice but to resign due to a lack of
political support. He said the chaotic atmosphere blanketing the
country would subside if Abdurrahman stepped down.

Reshuffle

A Cabinet source told The Jakarta Post over the weekend that
instead of sharing his power with Megawati, Abdurrahman might
resort to yet another Cabinet reshuffle to maintain his grip on
the presidency.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that
Abdurrahman might announce the lineup of the new cabinet before
or after his trip to the Middle East at the end of this month.

The source also said it was likely that Abdurrahman would give
Megawati more say in deciding the cabinet lineup.

More members from Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Golkar party would also be
included in the new cabinet, the source said.

"The President feels that the new cabinet should be able to
bridge the differences between the executive and the
legislature," the source said.

The source suggested, however, that Abdurrahman's planned trip
reflected the President's confidence that his grip on power was,
for now, relatively safe.

PDI Perjuangan and Golkar, which between them held the
majority in the 500-member House, withdrew their support at the
eleventh hour last week for attempts to accelerate the MPR
special session to impeach the President. (rms/byg)