Mega denies pledge of allegiance

Mega denies pledge of allegiance

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri denied
that she would support President Abdurrahman Wahid until the end
of his five-year term in 2004, Megawati's top aide said on
Friday.

"Ibu never made such a statement," the Vice President's
secretary Bambang Kesowo told reporters.

Bambang was referring to a presidential office press statement
late on Thursday claiming that during a meeting between
Abdurrahman and Megawati at the latter's residence on Wednesday,
she said that she would be willing to continue as Vice President
until 2004.

Bambang said during the talks Megawati only questioned the
President's assertion that a move to issue the second memorandum
of censure against him by the House of Representatives (DPR) was
unconstitutional.

The President's political survival depends largely on
Megawati, who, through her Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), controls a large number of seats in
the DPR. However, she remains silent on whether she would support
Abdurrahman or is ready to take over the presidency.

Abdurrahman, who once said early in March at the end of his
trip to the Middle East that he had never doubted Megawati's
loyalty, is facing huge pressure to resign over his erratic
leadership.

Gus Dur, as the President is known by his nickname, warned on
Thursday that there would be a "nationwide rebellion" by his
supporters if the DPR handed down the second memorandum against
him.

He changed gear on Friday, however, saying that he would not
be "seeking retribution or taking violent action" against his
political opponents.

"I won't be seeking retaliation and instead I will be
forgiving them for what they have arbitrarily done to me,"
Abdurrahman said during a visit to Serang in Banten province to
attend a function held by his National Awakening Party.

He called on religious leaders, both from the Nahdlatul Ulama
(NU) Muslim organization and rival Islamic groups, to calm the
situation down and not be provoked by heightened political
tension.

He then called on thousands of his diehard supporters to
exercise restraint at the end of the month when the DPR is
expected to rebuke him for a second time.

Although he called for calm, he said he would not ban his
supporters from coming to the capital.

"We cannot ban these people as that is their basic right. If
others can demonstrate against the President, why shouldn't they
protest in support?" he said after Friday prayers at the Grand
Mosque in Serang.

The President's supporters are expected to flood Jakarta on
April 29, on the eve of a DPR plenary session to decide whether
to pass a second censure motion against him.

The supporters will join a mass rally organized by NU and this
has raised fears of street violence.

Talks

Abdurrahman also said on Friday that he would press ahead with
proposed talks with his main political rivals before the April 30
DPR session.

Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab said earlier that senior
representatives of major political parties would meet on Saturday
to set the date and agenda for the proposed talks.

The talks hung in the balance, however, after senior officials
of PDI Perjuangan expressed unwillingness to attend Saturday's
meeting.

"Pak Alwi has called Ibu Mega about the meeting, but no one
has been appointed to come. Ibu Mega is actually willing to come
to the (summit) meeting so why do we need to have a preliminary
one," PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary-general Pramono Anung told
The Jakarta Post late on Friday.

With the potentially violent political events drawing near,
top security officials met late on Friday to discuss
precautionary measures at the National Police Headquarters.

Attending the meeting were Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief
Adm. Widodo A.S., Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto,
Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono, Air Force Chief
of Staff Marshall Hanafie Asnan and the host, National Police
Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro.

Earlier in the morning Widodo and Bimantoro were summoned by
the President for talks on security matters.

Widodo said after the afternoon meeting that the police would
take the lead in the operation to guard the capital with full
backing from TNI.

Bimantoro later said that the police would not hesitate to
take the harshest measures, should chaos break out.

Both the National and City Police have been kept busy by
legislators, who have asked for special police security to guard
them before, during and after the plenary session, following
threats issued by people who claimed to be Gus Dur supporters.

City Police Chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said on Friday
that House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and People's Consultative
Assembly Speaker Amien Rais were among several top officials who
had asked for special security.

A nervous deputy House speaker A.M. Fatwa was quick to propose
a relocation of the venue of the House plenary session to TNI
Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.

But National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi balked
at the suggestion, saying the police were competent enough to
secure the House building. (byg/dja/ylt)