President's accountability a must: PDIP
President's accountability a must: PDIP
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) is pressing ahead with the original agenda of the
People's Consultative Assembly special session, namely to ask
President Abdurrahman Wahid to account for his government's poor
performance, a party executive said on Tuesday.
Chairman of the PDI Perjuangan faction in the Assembly, Sophan
Sophiaan, said after the party's weekly executive meeting that
Abdurrahman was had no other option than to account for his
leadership.
"According to the constitution, the Assembly can call the
President to account at any time. If the President were to defy
such a request, I think it would mean that maybe he didn't
understand the constitution," Sophan asserted.
Abdurrahman said on Saturday that the major parties had agreed
not to touch on four crucial issues during the planned Assembly
special session, including demanding that he deliver a statement
of accountability at the opening of the event on Aug. 1.
"President Abdurrahman Wahid cannot reject the Assembly's
call ... so there is no choice left to him other than to come and
present his accountability statement," he further asserted.
Sophan added that it had been decided at Tuesday's meeting
that his faction would only recognize a choice between two
Assembly draft decrees as the only possible outcome of the
evaluation of the President's speech.
The PDI Perjuangan faction, he said, would not accept any
third option in responding to Abdurrahman's speech.
"We will maintain our previous stance and have not yet agreed
to the possibility of accepting the President's speech with
certain conditions attached," Sophan said.
He would not comment on whether the planned investigation into
alleged graft involving one of the party's executives, Arifin
Panigoro, would affect the party's stance.
"We always uphold the law and our stance will be decided by
the party executive board later on. The faction simply follows
orders from the executive board," he said.
Separately, PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary-general Pramono
Anung Wibowo revealed that the party's chairwoman and Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri is willing to attend a meeting
between leaders of political parties and factions in the House of
Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly, which will be
held two weeks prior to the special session.
"Ibu said she would be more than happy to have a meeting with
all of the party leaders," Pramono said.
There have been five meetings among secretary-generals of the
political parties, excluding the National Awakening Party (PKB),
to discuss preparations for the Assembly special session.
"The last meeting on Monday evening was attended by secretary-
generals from the five major political parties, minus the PKB.
The absence of the PKB from the meetings was merely due to
different perceptions as regards political affairs," Pramono
said.
The parties were the PDI Perjuangan, the Golkar Party, United
Development Party (PPP), National Mandate Party (PAN) and the
Crescent Star Party (PBB).
Pramono added that all political parties would be invited to
the next meeting.
"The upcoming summit is for all political parties in the House
of Representatives. All the parties have stated their intention
of answering our invitation," Pramono remarked.
With the special session drawing near, the major political
parties have preferred to intensify discussions among themselves
in a bid to draw up a common agenda in preparation for the
aftermath of the special session.
The ongoing lobbying not only involves the parties' joint
stance during the special session but also a common platform to
overcome the political and economic crises.
Meanwhile, political observer Eep Saefulah Fatah said the
coming special session will not result in a solution to the
country's current crisis if it is focused solely on changing the
national leadership.
"I am not optimistic that the coming special session will help
resolve the country's problems if it concentrates on forcing a
transfer of power from President Abdurrahman Wahid to Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri," Eep told The Jakarta Post on
the sidelines of a seminar in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
He suggested that the coming special session highlight three
major issues: proper relations between state institutions,
effective government and a transitional process involving the
least cost.
"The three issues should top the agenda, rather than just
trying to change the president and afterwards distribute the
ministerial posts up among the political parties," Eep said.
He asserted that even Megawati would be unable to lead the
country out of the crisis after Abdurrahman's impeachment if
these three key conditions were not met. (27/dja)