President-House showdown imminent

JAKARTA (JP): A showdown between the House of Representatives and President Abdurrahman Wahid looks increasingly unavoidable in the near future since the latter has asserted that he would not fulfill any summons by the legislature.

Speaking in Surabaya, East Java on Saturday, Abdurrahman said he would send an official letter to the House to inform them of his refusal to answer the summons of the special committee investigating corruption cases allegedly involving the President.

The latest tentative schedule had set Abdurrahman to be questioned on Thursday.

"The President can only be summoned by a People Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary session, not by the House. It is outrageous to send such a summons," he said.

Without elaborating, Abdurrahman maintained that the summons by the House committee probing the Buloggate and Bruneigate scandals was a violation of the 1945 Constitution.

"I will answer by letter on Monday, saying that I cannot come because the Constitution forbids me to do so," Abdurrahman said as quoted by Antara.

Abdurrahman further charged that the summons was merely a move designed to bolster the House's power over the presidency.

Since last year, Abdurrahman has been defiant of the House probe into the scandals and has even described the special committee as illegal.

The President maintains that the special commission, which was established by the House, should have been registered at the State Secretariat as required by a 1954 law which also stipulates that such committees should be listed in the state gazette.

The House special committee is probing the fraudulent withdrawal of Rp 35 billion from an employees' foundation of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). The funds were allegedly withdrawn by the President's masseur who at the time claimed he was doing so on behalf of the President.

The second scandal being looked into by the committee concerns a $2 million donation by the Sultan of Brunei that the President claimed was a personal gift.

On Saturday, Abdurrahman reasserted his threat to not hold further consultations with the House while it continued to "harass" him.

Abdurrahman went further in his recriminations towards the legislature saying that during his presidency the President and his cabinets had been trampled on by the House.

He remarked that ministers have had to continuously shuttle back and forth to the House to answer summonses from the legislators.

"It's OK for now as it does not really matter, but the dignity of the State's institutions should be respected," he said, while noting that thus far he had always encouraged his ministers to fulfill the wishes of the House.(dja)