'I'm Sorry': Gus Dur

'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)