President asked to identify corrupt ministers

President asked to identify corrupt ministers

YOGYAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker
Amien Rais aired yet another criticism to President Abdurrahman
Wahid on Sunday, lashing out at his refusal to identify three
ministers allegedly involved in graft.

Speaking after a ground breaking ceremony which marked the
start of the development of Baitul Qohhar Mosque in Kota Gede
subdistrict here, Amien said Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus
Dur, failed to change his old habit of "puzzling people with
controversial statements".

"Gus Dur carries on with his old habit from when he was the
Nahdlatul Ulama chairman," Amien said.

Amien was commenting on Abdurrahman's latest remark, in which
he predicted that three ministers would follow in the footsteps
of coordinating minister for people's welfare and poverty
eradication Hamzah Haz, who resigned late last month.

During his trip to the United States earlier last month,
Abdurrahman indicated that three members of his 36-strong Cabinet
might have been involved in corruption in the past. He later
declared Minister of Law and Legal Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra,
widely touted as one of the three in question, as "clean".

Hamzah, who chairs the United Development Party (PPP), was
replaced by former rector of Makassar-based Hasanuddin University
Basri Hasanuddin on Tuesday.

Abdurrahman's move sparked controversy and protests from PPP
members, calling him "ungrateful" as PPP and the axis force, a
loose political alliance of Muslim-based parties forged by Amien,
were supporters of Abdurrahman's presidential bid.

The President suggested on Saturday that the three ministers
allegedly involved in a swindle resign before being sent to
court.

"Again the President springs a surprise," Amien said. "He
always foretells mysterious things," Amien quipped, adding that
he did not have any idea about who the three ministers were.

"It is better for Abdurrahman to disclose the names to
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman rather than make blurry
statements."

In Semarang, Minister of Cooperatives, Small and Medium
Enterprises Zarkasih Nur, who is also a PPP deputy chairman,
asserted on Saturday that he would not resign from his Cabinet
post.

"I've been told by my friends in the PPP and axis force not to
resign and I work as a Cabinet minister as usual," Zarkasih said
before leaving for Jakarta.

PPP's central board is to hold a leadership meeting on Monday
to ask the President to clarify reasons of Hamzah's dismissal and
circulating rumors that he is being investigated for graft.
(44/har/edt)