I will serve my term: President Abdurrahman

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)