House seeks clarification on President's health

JAKARTA (JP): Amid decreasing confidence in the ailing government, the House of Representatives held a hearing on Wednesday with the presidential medical team, the Indonesian Physician Association (IDI) and four troubled specialists, to seek a clarification on embattled President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's state of health.

During the hearing, the presidential medical team, IDI and the four specialists, who once said that the President was physically and psychologically unfit to lead the country, presented their own opinion on the President's state of health to House Commission VII on population and welfare.

Umar Wahid, chairman of the presidential medical team who is also the President's brother, confirmed that so far the President was in good health and he was fit to carry out his daily tasks.

"Good. Good. The President is in good health," he said.

Asked whether the President would be fit to carry out his tasks until 2004, Umar said: "We could not make a prediction whether he will be fit until 2004 or 2010. Of the most importance is that until now, the President is physically and mentally healthy.

"Are you certain that I will be available for an interview tomorrow? I don't know whether I will still live after leaving this room. From a medical point of view, I can't forecast my future health condition. I won't make a prediction on somebody's health condition. I'm fresh today but I could be sick tomorrow," he said.

He declined to comment on Gus Dur's two strokes in the past, saying that the public should not continue to argue about them.

"However, it is not unexpected that it has sparked public concern," he added.

Umar stated that his team's main task was to provide medical care and service to the President, Vice President and their relatives and not to make any observations or predictions.

The four specialists defended their recent observation that the embattled President was no longer fit to carry out his tasks, saying the observation was based on media reports and not on medical examinations.

"We are of the opinion that the President's health problem is so serious that he is not fit to perform his tasks," Suharko Kasran, a nerve specialist, said.

The other three were Hadi Witarto, a physician, Raman S. Saman, an oculist, and Suryanto, a psychiatrist.

Suharko declined to talk to reporters and asked them to interview their lawyers. But the doctors' lawyers were not available for comment at the hearing.

Comments from the four were given wide coverage in local media after they met several House factions to present their observations.

Broto Wasisto, who led the IDI executives during the hearing, declined to comment on the four specialists' observations. He said IDi had been invited to give their opinion on the formal requirements for presidential candidates to the House which was deliberating the bill on the presidency.

He also declined to comment on whether or not the four specialists had violated the medical code of ethics in making their clinical observations.

"Doctors are allowed to make a conclusion from a medical examination. But, regarding a final decision on the fate of the President and that of the Vice President, it is in the hands of the state institution that has elected them," he said.

Achmad Sanoesi Tambunan, who presided over the hearing, called on all sides to abandon the polemic on the President's state of health, saying the House would accept the medical opinion presented by the presidential medical team and IDI, instead of the four specialists' informal observation.

"Our commission has reached a conclusion from the hearing that the formal requirements for presidential and vice residential candidates should be inserted into the bill on the presidency to ensure that consideration is given to the state of health of our presidents in the future," he said. (rms)