President-legislature row escalates

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)