PBB seeks to impeach Gus Dur over communism issue

JAKARTA (JP): The House faction of the Muslim Crescent and Star Party (PBB) called on the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Friday to hold an emergency session to demand the accountability and possible impeachment of President Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur.

Faction chairman Achmad Sumargono told reporters that the President violated his oath of office and the 1945 Constitution by seeking to lift the ban against communism.

"We are lobbying the other factions," Achmad said when asked about the faction's move.

PBB, a minority faction in the House, along with a number of other Muslim parties and the National Mandate Party (PAN) forms the Axis Force which pushed Abdurrahman's candidacy in the presidential election in October.

It is not immediately clear to what degree its demand for impeachment is supported by the PBB executive board, whose chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra serves in Abdurrahman's Cabinet as minister of law and legislation.

The President has proposed to lift the 34-year ban on communism, Marxism and Leninism saying that the decree has been responsible for the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent people who were accused of being communists under president Soeharto.

His suggestion has prompted mass protests in the last month, and has been followed by calls for his impeachment.

"If the decree (banning communism) is lifted, then communism will grow robustly again in Indonesia because the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) will once again become legal," Achmad said.

Achmad disputed Gus Dur's contention that the ban on communism was infringing on people's rights.

"The decree was issued because of the bloody coup by PKI to topple former president Sukarno's government," he said.

He also said Gus Dur's policies on fuel prices and civil servants' salaries would widen the gap between rich and poor and turn Indonesia into a fertile breeding ground for communism to flourish.

The Golkar Party and National Awakening Party (PKB) factions dismissed PBB's demand for an MPR session before the next scheduled meeting in August. The two parties are respectively the second and fourth largest factions in the House.

Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, who is also the House speaker, said he disagreed with the contention that the President's proposal to end the ban on communism violated the constitution or his oath of office.

While regretting Gus Dur's proposal, Akbar pointed out that the decision to lift the decree was in the hands of the MPR, and not the President.

"If PBB objects to the President's intention to revoke the decree, it should say so in the MPR's general session in August," he said.

Muhaimin Iskandar, deputy House speaker from PKB, said the President was within his rights to propose ending the communist ban and PBB should respect his right to freedom of speech.

"It is wrong for PBB to try to silence Gus Dur," he said.

PKB is a party that relies largely on the support of members of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization which Gus Dur chaired until his election to the presidency in October.

In Surabaya, NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi vowed on Friday to defend Gus Dur against any attempt to unseat him.

"He is the President. NU members will defend him for constitutional reasons. It has nothing to do with the fact that he was former NU chairman," Hasyim said.

On Gus Dur's call to end the communist ban, he said the President was a democrat who respects human rights. (rms/nur/sur)