President-House showdown imminent

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withdrawn by the President's masseur who at the time claimed he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)