Interpellation plan gets cool response from Gus Dur

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)