Impeachment threat likely to materialize

Impeachment threat likely to materialize

JAKARTA (JP): The impeachment threat against Abdurrahman Wahid
looks likely to materialize as factions at the People's
Consultative Assembly agreed almost unanimously on Thursday to
ask the beleaguered President to deliver his accountability
speech before a plenary session scheduled for Aug. 1.

Considering the Assembly's reception to the accountability
speech remains unpredictable, 10 factions approved a plan to
formulate a decree on the appointment of Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri as the new president.

The decisions were reached during a meeting of representatives
of 11 factions in the Assembly Working Committee, who convened on
Thursday as they began preparations for the much-awaited special
session.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
Golkar Party, United Development Party (PPP), Reform faction,
Indonesian Nationhood and Unity faction, Ummat Sovereignty Party
(PDU), Crescent Star Party (PBB) and Interest Group
representatives faction proposed a plenary session to hear an
accountability speech by the President.

The remaining factions suggested a softer agenda, with the
Indonesian Military/National Police faction proposing a special
session aimed at finding solutions to the political stalemate and
the Love the Nation and Democratic Party (PDKB) faction calling
for compromise seeking efforts.

Abdurrahman's National Awakening Party (PKB) faction insisted
that the Assembly turn down the House's demand for the special
session in line with the result of an investigation by the
Attorney General's Office, which found no evidence of the
President's involvement in two financial scandals on which the
House based its decision to rebuke the head of state.

Quoting the 1978 MPR decree, the PDI Perjuangan faction said
that the accountability speech was inevitable because the
President did not heed the House's two memorandums of censure.

"The upcoming special session is a continuation of the House's
censure as the President failed to give a satisfactory response
to the second memorandum. Therefore, the President must account
for his violations of the Constitution in the special session,"
Sterra Pieterzs, spokesman for the PDI Perjuangan faction, said.

He said the President had violated the presidential oath and
the 1998 MPR decree on clean government because of his
involvement in the two scandals.

He said if the President's accountability was accepted, the
Assembly should issue a decree to allow him to stay in power.

"Adversely, if the President's accountability was rejected,
the special session must decide to impeach him and appoint the
Vice President to be a new president through a MPR decree," he
said.

The faction said the committee should prepare draft decrees on
the President's impeachment and on the appointment of Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri as new president until 2004. It
did not propose a draft decree on the appointment of a new vice
president.

Sterra said PDI Perjuangan would also support a hastened
special session if the political and economic situation and
security worsened.

"It would be possible for PDI Perjuangan to plan a hastened
special session if the people's suffering in the political,
economic and security fields worsens," he said.

Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa, spokesman of the Golkar Party faction,
said that according to his faction, the special agenda's main aim
would be to ask for the President's accountability.

"The working committee therefore should prepare a draft decree
if the President's accountability is accepted and another one if
it is rejected and the President is impeached," he said.

The Golkar faction also called on the committee to prepare a
draft decree on the appointment of vice president.

MPR speaker Amien Rais insisted that Abdurrahman comply with
the assembly's order to present his accountability speech.

"His absence will mean disobedience to the state highest
institution," he said.

Amien would not speculate on whether a hastened schedule would
be possible, but instead repeated that the assembly would stick
with the timeframe stipulated within the decrees.

The special session is expected to last seven or eight days.

Following a two-hour discussion between the MPR and faction
leaders, the working committee decided to assign Ad Hoc
Subcommittee I to prepare two draft decrees on accountability and
ask Ad Hoc Subcommittee II to prepare a draft decree on the
appointment of Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri as new
president and another one on the appointment of a new vice
president. (rms)