Meeting of elite won't hamper second memorandum: Akbar

JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung said on Thursday that any planned meeting of political leaders would not halt the issuance of a second House memorandum of censure against President Abdurrahman Wahid.

"The second memorandum will go ahead and cannot be avoided as it is a constitutional process that cannot be stopped," Akbar told journalists in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, as quoted by Antara news agency.

"So, the planned meeting between the four leaders (Abdurrahman, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Amien Rais, and himself) will not prevent the second memorandum," he said.

He said the outcome of the planned meeting would not stop the constitutional process, but would be taken into consideration by the House.

Akbar, who is also the Golkar Party chairman, suggested that the meeting should also involve the leaders of the other political parties represented in the House, such as Hamzah Haz of the United Development Party (PPP) and Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

Similarly, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction in the House will recommend that the second memorandum be issued as the President has ignored the first memorandum and failed to bring about fundamental changes to the nation.

"Just wait for our final evaluation report ... We still want the second memorandum to be issued," legislator Julius Usman, who is also a member of the eight-member PDI Perjuangan faction's evaluation team on President Abdurrahman Wahid's reply to the first memorandum of censure, told the news agency on Thursday.

All the evaluation reports prepared by the House's 10 factions will be presented at a House plenary session on April 30.

Julius said his team had found several pieces of new evidence that showed the President had violated his oath of office and a 1998 Assembly decree.

"Gus Dur (Abdurrahman's nickname) has been lying by saying that the Madurese will ask for independence if he resigns ... In reality, the Madurese have denied such a claim, saying that they will remain part of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia whoever the president is," he cited as an example.

Meanwhile, secretary of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction Abdul Kholiq Ahmad said his faction would argue in its evaluation report that the House did not have sufficient grounds for issuing the second memorandum.

"The President has admitted that the first memorandum was an unavoidable political reality. But, he cannot accept its substance.

"The President's willingness to meet the summons of the House's special committee on the two financial scandals was proof of his commitment to law enforcement," he said.

Meanwhile, Hamzah Haz said here on Thursday that the planned meeting of political leaders would be effective if it involved all House factions as they were the true representatives of political power in the country.

"The meeting will be an effective means of calming down the political conflict between the President and the House," he said.

Separately, observers said the meeting of the four leaders should reach a consensus to end the current political crisis.

Political observer Andi Mallarangeng said all options to end the protracted stalemate between the government and the House should be discussed openly.

"The question of whether the President should delegate his daily presidential duties to the Vice President or should resign should be discussed to produce a more effective government," Mallarangeng said at a political discussion here on Thursday.

He said it was also important to have a political consensus among all political forces and the people so that if Abdurrahman were to resign, they could wisely accept that.

"But, if he is able to survive the special session and stay on as President, then the House should also accept that and support the government," he said.

He further suggested that the outcome of the meeting should be formalized into a presidential decree or an Assembly decree.

Economist Faisal Basri said the current situation could lead to a second crisis if the leaders failed to end the current political crisis to an end.

"Both the government and the House should remember that they are responsible for the current poor economic situation ... they need a kind of political contract among themselves that they must start to think about the country and the people," he said.

Meanwhile, the National Front (Barnas) recommended on Thursday that an accelerated general election was the best solution to the current crisis.

"The best way to settle the national crisis is to let the people decide through an accelerated general election in 2002," Barnas chairman Kemal Idris said at a media conference.

He said the planned meeting of the political leaders should include the possibility of holding an accelerated general election in its agenda. (dja/rms/imn)