President asked to curtail his controversial statements

President asked to curtail his controversial statements

JAKARTA (JP): Politicians and observers here decried on Monday
President Abdurrahman Wahid's habit of making controversial and
often reckless statements during his overseas trips, saying this
only served to cause needless confusion at home.

Political scientist Fachry Ali lamented Abdurrahman's
trademark off-the-cuff banter.

"He makes these statements which don't ease existing tensions,
but only create new ones," Fachry said during a discussion
assessing Abdurrahman's presidency.

He noted the stream of denials which come out anytime
Abdurrahman makes a statement.

Not known for his tact, Abdurrahman has made it a habit of
blurting snap statements with little elaboration or evidence.

The latest round of criticism came after the President alleged
during a visit to Rome on Sunday that there had been a plot in
the mid-1990s to assassinate him and now Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

But on Monday, both Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung and Gen.
Wiranto, the two people who allegedly knew of the assassination
plot, denied ever discussing such a plot with the President.

Separately, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung
also called on Abdurrahman to be more careful of what he said
during his overseas visits.

He said such careless remarks had a direct affect
domestically, especially when the President was overseas.

"It's better for Gus Dur to curtail his controversial
statements, which could disturb political stability here," Akbar
said, referring to Abdurrahman by his nickname.

He said the remarks about the assassination plot and Feisal
only added to the confusion at home.

Akbar pleaded for the President to refrain from making such
remarks and simply concentrate on his tasks while overseas.

Akbar even suggested that the often confusing remarks made by
the President were in part due to his physical handicap.

He said the fact that Abdurrahman was visually impaired
contributed to his possible misinformation, as he was unable to
read reports for himself.

"I hope Gus Dur will recheck all important information he
receives from his assistants before publicly commenting on it,"
he said.

Many of the President's claims during his current overseas
trip have been refuted the following day.

Leaders of the separatist Free Aceh Movement called
Abdurrahman a liar after he said that a cease-fire had been
hammered out between the rebels and the military during a secret
meeting.

Indonesian Military officials also denied Abdurrahman's
allegations that a covert meeting of generals had been held
during the height of coup rumors in Jakarta.

Despite these perceived flaws, Fachry praised the President
for his candor and bravery, particularly in challenging the
military's supremacy in politics.

"On the plus side, he is the only civilian who dares stir the
military's power," he remarked.

He conceded that much of Abdurrahman's moves were difficult to
analyze as the President seemed to base his judgments purely on
instinct.

Fachry pointed to the President's seemingly endless foreign
tours as an example. "I don't understand why Gus Dur conducts
these grand political visits abroad. He gets political support
from abroad which allows him to arrest separatist tendencies, but
doesn't really resolve the domestic issues at hand". (jun)