'I'm Sorry': Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): A day after his scathing attack on the House of Representatives, President Abdurrahman Wahid offered his apology on Friday and pleaded with the legislative body to let the interpellation matter rest in order to reduce political tension.

In a letter to the House, Gus Dur, as the President is popularly called, insisted he had already expressed his regret despite the House's demand for an apology.

"In all sincerity, once again I'm sorry for all the effects that should not have happened," he said, according to a copy of the letter delivered to House Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

Akbar read out the gist of the letter at a media conference later in the evening.

"I hope this (gesture) will be well received by all and marks the start of an attempt to reduce tension and to build better relations between us all," the President said in the letter.

The row with the House was prompted by his response at the House on Thursday to an interpellation motion to answer questions about his reasons for firing two of his economic ministers in April.

The President said the use of the interpellation motion, submitted under a 1999 law, was a betrayal of the 1945 Constitution and that he was not under any obligation to answer the House summons, let alone answer its questions.

In his letter he toned down his response saying that he was now prepared to meet with the House leaders in a closed door and confidential meeting to discuss the matter again.

"But I hope this option won't be necessary, if we could agree that the matter has been settled with the above apology," he said.

The President said on Thursday at the House plenary session that he would not answer the five questions posed to him because they were based on information that had been leaked from a closed-door meeting he held with the House's leadership in April.

According to those who took part in the meeting, the President said he had fired Laksamana Sukardi and Yusuf Kalla -- respectively minister of investment and state enterprises and minister of industry and trade -- because they were corrupt.

Both men denied the accusations and angry colleagues in the House then instigated the interpellation motion.

In his letter, Gus Dur made reference to the dismissals, saying that he had made the decision to create a conducive atmosphere for his Cabinet.

However, there was no clear explanation, as demanded by legislators, for evidence supporting his accusations of corruption against the two fired ministers.

Abdurrahman conceded that the corruption allegations were based on a report that came to him, "the truth of which still has to be established".

Referring to his earlier charge on Thursday that the interpellation was against the Constitution, Abdurrahman in a conciliatory gesture said he had no intention of repudiating the House's right to question the president.

"The fact that I attended and responded to the questions, despite the fact that not all were satisfied, is a concrete indication of my respect for the DPR's rights," read the letter.

The letter closed with an apology to the general public, "who directly or indirectly have felt the repercussions raised by this issue".

Courier

While his written response to the House may have been apologetic, Abdurrahman's comments earlier on Friday afternoon remained fiery.

At the opening of an Employees' Cooperative Conference at the State Palace, the President again alleged that there were political elements trying to topple him.

"There are people who stubbornly keep on trying to engineer my removal. They are free to do so. But a president can only be replaced if he has betrayed the country," Abdurrahman remarked.

He then told the 200 attendees to "stay away from practical politics".

Speaking after Friday prayers, Abdurrahman was also asked if he personally accepted or rejected the interpellation at the House.

The President replied that the motion was originally not what it has now been described as: "That the speaker of the House says it is a right to ask for clarification has only now been expressed. Initially that was not the intent."

Separately, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said on Friday evening he needed time to examine the letter further.

Recounting excerpts of the four-page letter to journalists at around 6:30 p.m., Akbar said that a courier from the state secretariat had delivered the letter.

"The President's written answers reached me around half an hour ago, and I just read it at one glance," he said.

By late Friday night many legislators, while having been informed that the President had sent his reply, had not received copies of the letter.

Golkar Party faction member Ade Komaruddin, who took the initiative to propose the interpellation, said while the apology was acceptable, Abdurrahman's refusal to answer the questions could prolong tension between the government and the House.

"It is not enough. We will continue to ask the President to give the House a clarification," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone on Friday night.

Both Ade and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle legislator Zulfan Lindan warned that the House could propose the exercise of a right of opinion.

Zulfan added that any further clarification not be held in a closed session.

The right of opinion, if accepted by the House plenary session, can result in a stern official warning or judgment of the President.

On Friday morning several legislators were already toying with the proposal.

The vice secretary of the Reform Faction Alvin Lie said an agreement had already been achieved with "colleagues from PDI-P, Golkar, the United Development Party and Crescent Star Party".

Alvin claimed that 25 out of 41 members of the Reform Faction had already signed a proposal to exercise that right.

"The rest of them are still out of town. I am optimistic that they will all sign," he said.(rms/zen/byg/emb)