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)