Observer warns of horizontal conflict
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Political observer Arbi Sanit from the Jakarta-based University of Indonesia warned here on Saturday that the country would be on the brink of horizontal conflict unless the planned meeting of four national leaders proceeded.
Arbi suggested that the four political leaders, President Abdurrahman Wahid, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, and People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais should not hesitate in conducting the meeting for the sake of national stability.
"The meeting must be driven by the four parties' good intentions, or it will generate no positive outcomes for the current problems," he told reporters after speaking at a seminar entitled 'Strategi Mencegah Konflik Massa dan Upaya Menyelamatkan Reformasi' (Strategies to Prevent Mass Conflict and Efforts to Save the Reform Movement), organized by Gadjah Mada University's Research Center for Rural and Regional Development (P3PK).
Arbi underlined that the four leaders had a moral responsibility to jointly seek solutions to the country's complex problems. "However, the four have been posing part of the problem," he said.
He also suggested that the meeting's agenda include efforts to create stable government.
He said that the National Awakening Party (PKB), which was founded by President Abdurrahman, along with Vice President Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and other small parties, should form a strong coalition to support the government.
"Akbar's Golkar Party and Amien Rais' National Mandate Party (PAN) must not be included (in the coalition). Gus Dur's supporters and Amien's supporters could not work together, while Golkar's participation would only spoil the (coalition) government's legitimacy," Arbi said, referring to Abdurrahman by his nickname.
Arbi believed that the House would not proceed with the planned second memorandum of censure against Gus Dur if the meeting was fruitful.
"The meeting will inevitably deal with power distribution among the four parties," he said, citing a previous meeting of politicians which saw the House cancel the use of its rights of interpellation against the President. (44)