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)