No trust between President and me, says Megawati

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)