Megawati to PDI-P: Go easy on Gus Dur

Megawati to PDI-P: Go easy on Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has appealed to her
party's legislators to go easy on President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid when they exercise their interpellation rights on Thursday.

"I ask PDI perjuangan members at the House to behave normally
and properly during the hearing," Megawati was quoted by party
legislator Heri Ahmadi as saying on Tuesday.

Megawati, who is the country's vice president, briefed the
legislators in a meeting held at Kempinski Hotel earlier in the
day.

While condoning the use of the House's interpellation right to
summon the head of state, Megawati asked them not to be excessive
when questioning the President, Heri told The Jakarta Post.

"Do it normally," Megawati remarked.

The President is scheduled to appear in the House on Thursday
to answer questions about his decision in April to fire Laksamana
Sukardi and Yusuf Kalla from the Cabinet, as minister of
investment and minister of trade and industry, respectively.

The PDI Perjuangan faction in the House combined with Golkar
Party this month to use the interpellation right to summon the
President. Laksamana is a member of PDI Perjuangan while Yusuf is
from Golkar.

Heri said Megawati's call would not prevent PDI Perjuangan
legislators from being critical during the hearing with the
President on Thursday.

"We will still be vocal," Heri, who is the party's secretary
at the House, said.

The meeting was not called to discuss only the interpellation
petition but also to discuss the activities of legislators when
the House goes on recess next week. "We were told to learn
people's aspirations during the recess," he said.

A total of 332 House members signed the interpellation
petition.

Their chief motive is to demand an explanation from the
President for dismissing the two Cabinet members. President
Abdurrahman, during a closed-door meeting with House leaders in
April, said the two were fired because they were corrupt. His
remarks were quickly leaked and prompted angry responses from the
ministers' friends in the House.

Besides initiating the interpellation motion, the House since
then has voted to launch an investigation into the financial
scandal at the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) that is believed
to have involved the President's close aides.

Political observers said Thursday's meeting is a prelude to
the gathering of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) next
month during which the President is scheduled to give a progress
report on his presidency since October.

An unsatisfactory report from the President could pave the way
for another investigation by the House which in turn could lead
to a vote to call for an extraordinary MPR session to impeach the
President.

Leaders of the major political parties, while critical of the
President, have discounted the likelihood of impeachment because
of the heavy political cost it would exact on the nation.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung of Golkar and MPR Speaker Amien
Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) have said the August MPR
session would only be used to listen to the President's progress
report.

On Sunday, all the 11 MPR factions made a joint appeal to
reduce political tension ahead of the MPR meeting.

However, suspicions of a hidden agenda persist.

Taufikurrahman Saleh, chairman of the National Awakening Party
(PKB) faction in the House, said he believed some politicians
were still out to get the President.

"They are distorting information to create the impression that
the President was making wrong and inconsistent statements,"
Taufikurrahman said on Tuesday.

PKB, a party founded by Gus Dur, urged all parties to put the
nation's interest before their own, Taufikurrahman said.

The PKB faction opposed the interpellation motion because the
matter was irrelevant, he said, underscoring the fact that the
President was within his prerogative rights to fire the two
Cabinet ministers.

The interpellation right, under the House's internal rules,
should only be used to question government policies, he said.
(jun)