Questioning Gus Dur's health

Questioning Gus Dur's health

From Suara Karya

Recently a certain newspaper said "Several members of the
House of Representatives (DPR), People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) and the political elite considered that President
Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur, was still sick after
having suffered two strokes." The reporter wrote "In spite of his
condition, why did so many MPR members elect him?"

Voting by the Assembly took place on Oct. 20, 1999. Those
voting for Abdurrahman were 373 members, for Megawati
Soekarnoputri 313 members, while five members abstained and nine
members were absent. The total Assembly members eligible to vote
were 700.

Reading these figures, it can be concluded that in fact the
373 members voting for Abdurrahman, who suffers from poor sight
and has had two strokes which have disabled him from walking
without the help of someone to support him, were also "sick". I
mean to say that at that time they did not use common sense and
did not consider the state of his physical and mental state
unlike what other people in the world do when electing a
president.

Second, the difference of the vote between Abdurrahman and
Megawati was relatively small, only 60 votes, or less than 9
percent of the Assembly's total members.

Third, perhaps the Assembly members having opinions are those
who voted for Abdurrahman but were later aware of their mistake
after studying the administration's performance, which is
considered being on the other side.

It seems that many parties hope to be the first ones to
rectify the correctable mistakes made by the President of their
own choice by way of an impeachment to be brought against him in
the annual General Session to be held from Aug. 5 to Aug. 18,
2000.

Well, who are they? Are they from the Golkar Party and the
"central axis"? As we know, it was this group which nominated
Abdurrahman as the fourth president.

SUNGKOWO SOKAWERA

Bandung