Interpellation plan gets cool response from Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has reacted coolly to a proposal by the House of Representatives to question him over the recent dismissal of two of his economics ministers, a senior official said on Friday.

State Secretary Djohan Effendy was quoted by Antara as saying that Gus Dur, as the President is also known, however, had prepared an explanation to defend his decision before the legislators.

He said that it was still not clear whether the defense would be delivered by the President himself or one of his aides.

Djohan added that so far the President had not received any formal request to appear before the House.

The House overwhelmingly approved on Thursday an interpellation motion to question Abdurrahman over the dismissal of Yusuf Kalla and Laksamana Sukardi in April as minister of industry and trade and state minister of investment and state enterprises development respectively.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who is also in support of the proposal, was quick to add, however, that the interpellation had no political consequences for the President, and could not even lead to Abdurrahman's removal.

The House has given the President until July 21 to reply before a plenary session.

Separately, People's Consultative Assembly Deputy Speaker Matori Abdul Djalil said the interpellation would not threaten Abdurrahman's presidency.

"The interpellation right, although the questions had been engineered, cannot be used to topple the President," Matori who is chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), said on Friday.

He said the interpellation right was only being used by legislators to show off their strength, as if saying 'The House can do anything against the President'".

The head of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association, Hendardi, likened the legislators to a bunch of street thugs ganging up on someone.

"They're ganging up on Gus Dur because they think he upset their friends," he said, lamenting that what was at work was the spirit of "retaliation" rather than for a search for the truth.

He predicted that whatever the President answered would be unsatisfactory to the House legislators.

Hendardi further insisted that such an interpellation motion was unrecognized in Indonesia's presidential system and thus the President should just disregard this motion.

Meanwhile, in Bali, Faisal Basri of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said too much should not be made of the interpellation as it was really a right of the House of Representatives.

Faisal in fact said he was rather disappointed that the House undertook such a step as it was becoming glaringly evident that legislators were only interested in their own interests, rather than the whole nation.

"On the priority scale, it is obvious that the House is only worried about personal matters, rather than enhancing the faith of over 200 million people in Indonesia, " he remarked.

He insisted that there were many bigger problems that the President should answer, such as the continuing stagnant economy or growing disintegration threats in the country, rather than the dismissal of the two ministers.

"It is a clear example that the House is only interested in a power struggle," Faisal asserted.

Noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid also said there was nothing special in the interpellation motion and that it would not lead to the impeachment of the President.

"It is only an effect of social control of the President and I believe those who support the interpellation motion do not have the intention of impeaching him," he added.(byg/jun/dja)