Parties ignore Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid faced another political setback and public humiliation as political leaders snubbed his invitation to attend a political powwow at Bogor Palace to seek a way out of the current political impasse.

At noon on Monday, Abdurrahman was left sitting down to lunch virtually alone in an empty palace, accompanied only by his closest ally, National Awakening Party chairman Matori Abdul Djalil.

The fact that the meeting turned into a fiasco should have come as no surprise as there were few, if any, positive response to it from the start.

Vice President and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, National Mandate Party chairman Amien Rais and Crescent Star Party chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra had all indicated that they would not attend.

Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Hamzah Haz, while welcoming the idea, had from the start indicated that their presence would hinge on Megawati's attendance.

There was no hiding Abdurrahman's dejection, which quickly manifested itself in another tirade of threats.

"This meeting has failed," a despondent Abdurrahman remarked while conceding Megawati's refusal to come had been a crucial factor.

A protocol official disclosed that Akbar telephoned Abdurrahman less than an hour before the working luncheon was about to start.

"Pak Akbar basically informed the President that it was useless for him to come as the other leaders were also going to be absent," said the official, who asked not to be identified.

The President later told journalists that he would seek to personally meet with Megawati, who in recent weeks has made a habit of ducking meetings with him, including Cabinet meetings and the weekly working breakfasts which they used to have.

Abdurrahman suddenly called the meeting at Bogor Palace last week in what observers believed was a last ditch attempt to hammer out a political compromise before the start of the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

The meeting was postponed from Saturday in the hope that Megawati would attend. Megawati was on a working visit to Kalimantan and then went for a medical checkup to Singapore over the weekend.

Abdurrahman has said that he would accept a special session of the Assembly as long as it did not seek to call him to account, something which could then lead to his removal from office.

Undeterred, Abdurrahman on Monday afternoon put on a brave face before journalists and unleashed yet another barrage of threats directed against his political foes.

He warned of a state of emergency and the dissolution of both the Assembly and the House of Representatives if a compromise was not reached by July 20.

He said he would then call an early general election.

"Two options are open to us: First, to continue the efforts at reconciliation, which we can still do until July 20."

"If this doesn't happen, the government will proclaim that the country is in a state of crisis, the House and the Assembly will be frozen and a general election will be called," he added.

Behind the scenes, the abortive meeting became something of a lark as hordes of journalists there to cover the event were provided with ample lunches.

"Don't worry, you can eat as much as you want. We have a lot of food because the leaders didn't come," an official told the journalists.

Separately, Matori said there was no sign of disappointment on the part of the President during their lunch together.

"We just had a light conversation. He was relaxed and not angry. We just joked and ate," Matori said.

Matori himself played down the threat of a state of emergency, saying people should be used to hearing it by now.

"Bluffing is usual in politics, we should not be surprised."

Meanwhile, PDI Perjuangan Secretary-General Soetjipto said Megawati could not attend the meeting because no clear agenda had been outlined.

"Ibu Megawati could not come because the invitation came at the last minute and it was not clear what was to be discussed," Soetjipto said.(dja/prb)