Legislators hail Gus Dur's move to suspend Wiranto

Legislators hail Gus Dur's move to suspend Wiranto

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators and political observers on Monday
expressed their overwhelming support for the decision to suspend
Gen. Wiranto from his Cabinet post as coordinating minister for
political affairs and security.

House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung said the
suspension would help smoothen the investigation of the former
Military chief after he was alleged to have been responsible for
the violence that swept East Timor following the Aug. 30
independence ballot.

"It (the suspension) was what the House had earlier demanded.
It's the right decision," Akbar, who is also chairman of the
Golkar party, said.

While acknowledging the right of President Abdurrahman Wahid
to install, dismiss or suspend his ministers, Akbar however
questioned the installment ceremony of former minister of home
affairs Soerjadi as the ad interim coordinating minister.

"It appears that Soerjadi was installed as a permanent
coordinating minister for political affairs and security. In the
past, there has never been a ceremony for an acting minister,"
remarked Akbar, who once served as state minister/state secretary
and minister of sports and youth affairs.

House deputy chairman Muhaimin Iskandar also welcomed the
President's decision and urged Wiranto to accept it without
reservation.

"Wiranto should accept it. He is a gentleman and a statesman.
We and the public would respect him," Muhaimin, who is also the
secretary general of the Nation Awakening Party, said.

Foreign minister Alwi Shihab, who is known to be a close
confidant of the President, expected the general public to see
the decision as the best result for everyone concerned, including
for Wiranto himself.

"The decision took into account the aspirations of many
people, it did not disgrace Pak Wiranto and leaves open the
possibility for him to resume his post if the investigation
proves his innocence," Alwi told reporters on Monday.

Alwi remarked that having presidential prerogative powers,
Abdurrahman could have dismissed Wiranto if he chose to.

"He (the President) only used the lowest level of power when
making this decision," he added.

Alwi conceded that the drastic shift from Sunday's decision
was, in some part, due to advice from certain parties.

"After receiving inputs from many parties, from inside and
outside of the country, from whom I do not know, he eventually
took the decision to suspend Wiranto," he said.

National Awakening Party chairman Matori Abdul Djalil praised
the decision as the most appropriate the President could have
taken.

"We all feel relieved with the stern attitude of the President
to make sure that human rights violators are brought to justice,"
he said.

He said it was evidence of the government's commitment to
upholding the law as the basis for democracy.

"Whether they are corporals or generals, for the sake of human
rights, no one has impunity if they violate them," he added.

Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta political observer Riswandha Imawan
from Gadjah Mada University warned that the suspension could lead
to a further shakeup in the Cabinet as Wiranto was one of the
guarantors in the selection of at least five Cabinet ministers.

"By suspending Wiranto, he leaves a time bomb in the Cabinet."

Riswandha warned that Abdurrahman may eventually have to
replace all five ministers whose entrance into the Cabinet
Wiranto had sponsored.

Political observer Mahfud MD from the Indonesian Islamic
University (UII) also warned on Monday of an impending power
struggle among the political elite as a result of the suspension.

"There might be a bitter fight between two different groups of
elite politicians around Gus Dur.

"The first group may include, among others, Vice President
Megawati, Wiranto and former Armed Forces commander L.B.
Moerdani, while the other camp might comprise of the rights body
and a number of NGOs."

He said the first group met Gus Dur in the morning, while the
other group had probably intensely lobbied him into Sunday
evening to get him to change his mind. (04/44/swa/edt/jun)