President-legislature row escalates

JAKARTA (JP): Tension between the President and legislators escalated further on Friday, with both sides exchanging "threats of action" in relation to the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) scheduled for Aug. 1, 2001.

President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has set a one-week deadline for the People's Consultative Assembly to decide that the coming special session will not turn out to be his impeachment process, otherwise he will take stern action.

"I will give them until next Friday... Do not violate the Constitution or I will take stern action," Abdurrahman remarked, after Friday prayers in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

However, he did not elaborate on what kind of action he would take should the Assembly refuse to back down from the planned special session.

Earlier in the day, Abdurrahman contended that his five-year term of office was guaranteed by the Constitution.

"Let the MPR stage the special session, but it should not have an agenda for impeachment because my tenure until 2004 is guaranteed by the Constitution," he said in a ceremony at the State Palace to mark the formulation of Pancasila, the state ideology.

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais dismissed the President's threat, saying Gus Dur might be mistaken about constitutional facts.

He said the President should learn more about the Constitution to avoid making such statements.

Amien said that, despite the threat and pro-government demonstrations, the Assembly would go ahead with the special session recommended by the House of Representatives, and request the President's accountability.

"Gus Dur's fate will be determined in the special session. If the President's accountability is accepted, he will stay in power. However, if his accountability is rejected he will be gone," Amien said after the plenary session of the Assembly's Working Committee at the MPR building.

Sutjipto, secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), declined to comment on the President's statement, saying the government is ailing in the face of the special session.

He reiterated that PDI Perjuangan and its faction at the Assembly were determined to solve the conflict constitutionally and democratically.

Sutradara Gintings, chairman of the Indonesian Nationhood faction at the House of Representatives, called on the two sides to work hard in trying to calm down the heated political situation by attempting to seek a political compromise prior to the session.

"Politicians in the legislature are trying to avoid airing controversial statements prior to the special session but the President still needs more time to do so," he said.

Abdurrahman said that he is still open to possibilities for compromise, as long as it did not threaten the country's unity.

"We will continue to seek compromise, but I stress that if it concerns this country's unity, there will be no compromise...there will be no choice other than stern action," the President said.

Abdurrahman said he had opened his door wide but his political opponents had apparently closed their door for compromise, unless such a compromise be pursued during the upcoming special session.

Later in the day, during an interview with TVRI state television, Abdurrahman criticized his opponents' action of influencing the media and security personnel to move against him.

The President lashed out, in particular, at the National Police chief, Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, for the shooting of his supporters in Pasuruan, East Java, that resulted in one death.

"It is a crime for the state to shoot at their citizens," he remarked, adding that he had mentioned it to Bimantoro.

Separately, Bimantoro said the President had asked him to resign because of the Pasuruan incident, but he rejected to bow down, claiming such action was against prevailing regulations.

"The President has asked me to resign. I will not," Bimantoro told reporters at his office on Friday evening.

Although he is cornered, Abdurrahman has also said that he will not bow down and resign.

"I will not resign and if the unity of the country is at stake, I will not hesitate to take stern action against all parties, without exception," Abdurrahman said.

The President further reiterated that six provinces will declare independence should he resign, so he announced that he must stay in power not because he wanted to but because he had to.

"Leaders from six provinces, not state officials but local leaders, told me that they will declare independence if I resign...I can't step down now because I don't want to," he remarked. (dja/rms)