'I'm here till the end', says Abdurrahman Wahid
JAKARTA (JP): Embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid once again defied his critics asserting that he is unruffled by calls for his resignation, and even made a reconciliatory gesture by defending Golkar Party against those who wish to see it dissolved.
Speaking at a gathering with the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) at Bogor Palace on Sunday, Abdurrahman underlined that under no conditions would he leave his seat of office prior to the end of his presidential term in 2004.
"I cannot leave the state. I'll be here till the end," he remarked. "There's no need to worry."
Calls for the President to resign have picked up particularly after a special committee of the House of Representatives implicated him in two financial scandals.
The House then agreed to take action by sending a memorandum to the President to further explain these findings.
Abdurrahman acknowledged the demands for his resignation, including the increasing number of large demonstrations particularly in the capital in the past week but questioned the integrity of many of these demonstrators.
"Every day there are demonstrations in front of Merdeka Palace. But they were paid," he charged.
He alleged that there are four main groups who want him ousted: those that are afraid of legal action will be taken against their past crimes, those who have political ambitions, those who want to protect the status quo, and those who are being paid to protest.
Golkar
The ever unpredictable Abdurrahman then surprised many of those in attendance by launching into a defense of the Golkar Party against those who would want the party, so closely associated to the Soeharto's New Order regime, dissolved.
Abdurrahman said it would be unfair to dismantle the party simply for its participation in the 32-year authoritarian rule of the New Order.
"We should avoid dissolving the Golkar Party harshly ... it is very inhumane. We should avoid it," Abdurrahman said as quoted by Antara.
He insisted that while the party had made many mistakes and had weaknesses in the past, it is a whole new party since the reform era.
"I noted several mistakes of Golkar in the past, about how they managed to win (general elections) mostly due to the support from bureaucrats and the Indonesian military," Abdurrahman remarked.
"But that was then, now they are different. They still have a chance (to win) in the next election," he added.
While Abdurrahman's statement may infuriate many people, it could possibly allay some pressure he is currently receiving especially since Golkar holds the second highest number seats in the House.
Meanwhile later here on Sunday evening at a post-fasting gathering with his own National Awakening Party (PKB), Abdurrahman called on his supporters to remain calm and patient despite the intense pressure he is receiving.
Abdurrahman also claimed that he and the House have agreed to cool the heated political situation.
"We have to be patient, what's done is done. The result of the special committee, the continuing rallies, I am sure everything will be okay. PKB should stay calm and be patient," he remarked.
"I had a meeting with the House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjoguritno. In the meeting we had an agreement to try to allay the heated situation," he revealed.
Nevertheless in what seemed to be a challenge against his opponents, Abdurrahman still snapped that even patience has its limits and expressed his wish that all parties should stop politically provocative activities within a week.
"So we should not do anything and see whether they dare to continue their effort. I promise you the government will find the instigators of these actions and not hesitate to arrest them," he maintained.
"However, I will not suggest any anarchic actions to deal with the problem."
He assured the people that security officers will deal with the problem.
"When I heard that in East Java people vandalized Golkar Party's office, I was very sad, but it shows that people were offended," he said. (dja)