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)