Plenary session date to be set for House censure

JAKARTA (JP): Six factions of the House of Representatives agreed on Wednesday to let the House's Consultative Body set a date for a plenary session on the issuance of a second memorandum of censure against President Abdurrahman Wahid.

The Consultative Body will on Thursday decide the date of the plenary session.

However, the largest House faction, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), demanded that the plenary session be used to thoroughly evaluate the President's performance, instead of to issue a second memorandum.

In a letter signed by faction chairman Arifin Panigoro and read out by a House staffer, PDI Perjuangan said that the House was competing with time.

The House will start its recess at the end of the month until April 24, giving the President time to respond to the first memorandum issued on Feb. 1. The deadline for the President to respond is May 1.

It was reported that the six factions, including PDI Perjuangan, had drafted a second memorandum even though Abdurrahman has yet to reply the first one.

The other five factions -- the Golkar Party faction, the Reform faction, the United Development Party (PPP) faction, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) faction and the United Ummat Sovereignty (F-PDU) faction -- remained determined on Wednesday.

The five factions consider Abdurrahman's refusal to cut short an overseas trip at a time when ethnic rivalry in Central Kalimantan was raging and his deviant remarks concerning being censured as strong reasons to issue a second memorandum.

After the session, PDI Perjuangan faction secretary Heri Akhmadi told journalists that his faction preferred to decide on the mechanism of the memorandum process before talking about issuing a second memorandum.

"We have to set the mechanism first. How the House would evaluate the President's response (to the first memorandum), and then discuss the substance," Heri said, adding that discussing a second memorandum could be premature.

Separately, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung said that the President should submit a written answer to the House, which would become the main consideration of whether a second censure would be issued.

The first memorandum was issued by the House over the allegation that the President was involved in the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and Brunei scandals.

Meanwhile, a statement from a Bruneian political party was released to reporters here, saying that the money in question was not from the sultanate, but from the Bruneian royal family.

Akbar said that he had yet to receive a letter from the party.

Dispute

On a separate occasion on Wednesday, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned that prolonged bickering between the nation's leaders could threaten the country's unity.

"The conflict at the elite level, which involves their respective supporters, is endangering the nation's unity and the people's integrity," Susilo said while briefing ambassadors and representatives of foreign countries and international organizations on the latest development of the political, social and security situation in Indonesia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Directorate General for Political Affairs Hasan Wirayudha and the Indonesian Military's Strategic Intelligence Body (Bais) deputy chief Maj. Gen. Tulus Sihombing were also present.

Susilo said the government was currently facing three major problems: a national leadership crisis and conflict among the political elite, instability and insecurity, and the economic crisis.

Susilo told the media that he had never heard that the President was prepared to resign providing that the House could prove he had violated the Constitution.

"I have never heard him make such a statement, either in a Cabinet meeting or in other meetings. However, we just cannot know all things the President has in mind," Susilo said.

Susilo was responding to a statement by Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D that the President did not object to resigning, but underlined that the resignation must be based on the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Alwi said that the President was adamant that he had no involvement whatsoever in the two scandals.

"It is quite clear that he is unwilling to resign," Alwi said. (dja/02)