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)