No trust between President and me, says Megawati

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday signaled her "distrust" of President Abdurrahman Wahid further shutting the door for any political reconciliation in the coming weeks.

Supreme Advisory Council chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro, after leading a delegation to meet the Vice President at her office, said that when asked, Megawati was pessimistic at the prospects of working together with the President.

"I am happy for us to work together based on trust and reliable guidance. However, until now there has been difficulty (in getting that)," Megawati was quoted by Achmad as saying.

Megawati's move to distance herself from the President has been seen as a green light for the President's political foes to steam ahead in their efforts to convene a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly to seek the President's accountability.

The leadership duo of Abdurrahman and Megawati had been regarded by many as a strong pillar upon which the post New Order government was founded.

But with Abdurrahman's style of leadership becoming increasingly erratic, Megawati has slowly distanced herself from him.

Her ascendancy to the presidency has already been considered imminent by many. Many legislators view her reluctance to seek political compromise with the President as a sign that she is fully ready to assume the presidency.

Megawati has often ducked important meetings in recent weeks, which would have brought the two together, although a quiet meeting between the two was held on Monday night.

Abdurrahman invited Megawati to his official residence at Merdeka Palace, where he reportedly expressed his disappointment with Megawati's refusal to attend a powwow with other political party leaders at Bogor Palace.

During her meeting with members of the Supreme Advisory Council on Thursday, Megawati reportedly complained that the President never consulted with her in the promotion or replacement of Cabinet members, despite recognizing that the President has the prerogative to change his Cabinet lineup.

"Although it is the President's prerogative, the Vice President should know of it in advance because the Vice President is also involved in the administration...it needs cooperation," Achmad again quoted Megawati as saying.

PDI Perjuangan

Later on Thursday evening, in a prepared speech at the opening of a three-day party working meeting, she said that the special session of the Assembly is an unavoidable event due to the President's own actions.

Megawati contended that the party had undergone long, thorough analysis before deciding to ask for the President's accountability during the coming special session, which is currently slated to begin on Aug. 1.

"It is not a sudden decision, it is not a reactive decision or just a fashionable decision. The party has been observing the President and concluded that the special session cannot be avoided," Megawati said.

She contended that she had endorsed her party's support for censure against the President as well as the call for a special session. The party had calculated all possible losses and benefits from the decision.

The party even took into account possible conflict among the grassroots, ahead of and after the Assembly special session, she remarked.

"This is not an easy decision, but current political developments have forced us to take such a difficult choice...I understand if there should be some difference of opinion or doubts," she said.

She further underlined that the working meeting should recommend the party's stance over the President's accountability and that branches nationwide should have no doubts over the special session decision.

She reminded that in order to maintain unity at the grassroots level, all party cadres should express a common point of view and a common voice at the coming special session.

She further warned that all PDI Perjuangan members must heed the party line, none are allowed to express differing political opinions during and after the special session.

"The special session is ahead of us but we cannot determine the results (yet) because it is too soon to decide what would be the party's stance against the President's accountability," she asserted.

"The recommendation that will come from this working meeting should provide sufficient space for me as the chairwoman to make a political decision for the party at the coming special session," Megawati said. (dja)