Ministers offer political panacea

Ministers offer political panacea

JAKARTA (JP): The seven ministers tasked with drawing up the
government's recommendations to settle the ongoing stand-off with
the House of Representatives are fine-tuning their draft as the
May 30 Assembly plenary session draws near.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Social, and Security
Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declined to reveal much about
the result of the meeting on Thursday, saying the team would
report first to President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President
Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday.

"We have proposed many recommendations to the President and
Vice President. But we need more time since some of the
recommendations need reviewing," Susilo told a media briefing
after the meeting.

Without going into details, he said that the draft had been
unanimously accepted by the Cabinet.

He was referring to a ministerial meeting on Sunday which was
described as a forum to unite perceptions among the Cabinet
members on the current political situations and to formulate
recommendations.

The Sunday meeting, in which both Abdurrahman and Megawati
failed to show, underlined that the recommendations, which
concerned constitutional, political, government management,
national and international politics, should contribute to
attempts to end the political crisis.

Also attending Thursday's meeting were Coordinating Minister
for the Economy Rizal Ramli, Minister of Home Affairs and
Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja, Minister of Defense Mahfud
MD, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Baharuddin Lopa, and
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab was absent as he was
on an official trip to China, and was only due home on Friday.

Earlier Mahfud said that the team of seven proposed a
recommendation to reunite Abdurrahman and Megawati, an option
they considered carried the minimum political and social risk.

"It's just one of our recommendations. It is all up to the
President and Vice President," Mahfud said.

On Wednesday morning, Abdurrahman again held a breakfast
meeting at Megawati's residence on Jl. Teuku Umar, Central
Jakarta.

Thursday's ministerial meeting followed moves by Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU) clerics to help the embattled President, who formerly
chaired the organization, prevent the House from calling for a
special session of the People's Consultative Assembly in its
plenary session scheduled for May 30.

NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi also met with politicians associated
with the Muslim group in two separate occasions on Wednesday and
Thursday, calling on political leaders to resume efforts to seek
compromise.

A group of NU clerics from East Java met with Assembly deputy
speaker Naazri Adlani on Wednesday, demanding the highest
legislative body annul two memorandums of censure issued by the
House against the President. They also rejected the Assembly
special session as an outcome of the censures.

"If the special session takes place, we won't take
responsibility for what happens following the event," one of the
clerics, Sudjudi, said.

Earlier on Sunday, more than 600 NU clerics from Central Java
and Yogyakarta gathered in the sultanate town and signed a joint
agreement to support the embattled President.

Political tension heightened due to reports that the President
had considered the possibility of issuing a decree to dissolve
the House. Abdurrahman has denied such a plan.

Army Chief of Staff Endriartono Sutarto and Navy Chief of
Staff Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono were among those who have voiced
their opposition to such a proposal.

TNI reshuffle

In a related development, Abdurrahman summoned military
leaders and top cabinet ministers on Wednesday to reassure them
that he had no intention of reshuffling the military leadership.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, the three armed forces
chiefs of staff and the state intelligence chief were all present
at the unscheduled meeting at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday.

"The President expressed that there was no plan to replace the
TNI (Indonesian Military) leadership, particularly the army and
navy chiefs of staff," Susilo said after the meeting.

He added that the meeting was held in response to strong
rumors and media speculation over the past days that Abdurrahman
would soon replace Endriartono with a loyalist general.

Susilo said the rumors "could fuel the already tense political
climate and stir uneasiness".

"So, I hope, the President's statement today can be cited as a
reference," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Abdurrahman again denied rumors that he
had any intention of replacing the military's top leadership.

"There is no such plan at all. It's all made up by the media,"
Abdurrahman told reporters at Bina Graha presidential office.
(02/byg/rms)