I will serve my term: President Abdurrahman

JAKARTA (JP): Despite mounting calls for his resignation, President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Friday that he will serve his term which ends in 2004.

"According to the Constitution I may remain to be president until 2004 and I am intent on doing my duties the best I can until the end of my term... so there is no need to be afraid," Abdurrahman said after Friday prayers near his private residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

"Of course, there are some who have been dreaming that I will be resigning soon and they even have set a March deadline for me to resign, but let it be. It does not matter."

Critics of the President in the House of Representatives (DPR) have stepped up their attacks in recent days, making concerted calls for his resignation, saying he is incompetent and corrupted. They have also been demanding for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to oust him from power.

The President survived his toughest challenge ever in the August MPR annual session, but another test is awaiting him as the House is investigating financial scandals that are allegedly linked to him.

Abdurrahman has accused his critics of ignoring his government's achievements in the first year of his tenure, citing an improving economy due to increasing exports.

However, the President conceded that foreign investors have yet to return to the country due to continuing violence in several regions, political infighting and corruption in the bureaucracy.

Abdurrahman was also recently beset by media reports that some Cabinet members would soon resign because of their disappointment with his erratic style of governing.

The President was quick to dismiss the reports saying he was "not intent on reshuffling the Cabinet at all".

The latest blow to the President was a series of Christmas eve bomb attacks on churches in six provinces on Sunday that killed at least 16 people and injured more than 100.

Abdurrahman has said the attacks were aimed at destabilizing his government and that he believed the bombers were well- coordinated, well-funded and used to working together.

The President on Friday also partly blamed the media for all his troubles.

He accused the media of being biased in their reporting saying that "lies, slanders and inappropriate comments have recently been published by the press".

"Sometimes, they do it because the chief editors are threatened by certain people, some of whom are capable of using violence," Abdurrahman said.

He called on the public not to be easily provoked by media reports.

"We should not overreact to this... just let it be, because in the end, we would know which media was paid to carry out the smear campaign against me," Abdurrahman said.(byg)